78. COMPOSITE. [53. Sonchus. 



usually numerous spreading and attaining 18" and then often with 

 leaves at the base of the branches. L. 3-6" sessile oblanceolate 

 pinnatifid and runciuate or sinuate-lobed or dentate, base much 

 narrowed, margins closely almost spinulosely denticulate. Heads 

 ■3-'5" long, sparsely svib-spicate and clustered with short bracteate 

 pedicels •]--3" long. CyjDseles 2-morphic, compressed narrowed above 

 striate and scabrid and corky Avhite with -1—5 broad obtuse ridges 

 scarcely narrowed above. Pappus •2-"3" soft white very slender much 

 longer than the minute cypsele. 



Behar, Ilopel Piirneah! S.P., bed of the Gaiige.s, Kc.rzl Palamau, Gamble \ 

 Manbhutn, Cawjwie/Z! Singblmm ! FI., Fr. May-Jan, 



The denticulations when dry are usually hard and white. Involucre narrow 

 cylindrJc, outer bracts verj' short, inner about 8, linear-oblong- with white scarious 

 margins, midrib obscure. Florets about 15-20, Purneah specimens collected by 

 Clarke have leaves only 2" long, runcinate, and with close white (when dry) 

 spinulose teeth and sessile clustered heads or the veiy short pedicels completely 

 clothed with small bracteoles. Invol, -bracts *4'' long. 



3. L. asplenifolia, BG. 



A C>-ejjis-like herb with the leaves all radical, 3-5" long, oblong- 

 oblanceolate jDinnatifidly lobed with the lobes usually broadly oblong 

 and patent, acute, obtuse or rovmded, entire or denticulate not 

 spinulose-serrulate as in L. nuclicaidis, glabrous. Scapes several, 

 branched 6-9" long, naked or with one or two leaves at base, bracts 

 small dry subtending the branches. Heads pedicelled with long or 

 short pedicels. Involucre •;J5--4" with linear obtuse bracts Avith 

 scarious margins, few outer shorter and several very short outermost 

 (or bracteoles) at end of pedicel. Cypsele "08" Avith strong ribs which 

 are minutely serrulate and intermediate weaker ribs. Pappus hairs 

 united at their base, "3" long, very soft and fine. 



Behar, J.D.H. ! Purneah probably, as it occurs in Maldah ! Hazaribagh, Clarke ! 

 Frequent in the Gangetic Plain. Fl., Fr. Jan. -May. 



The Maldah specimens are 1 ft. high with much branched flowering stems and 

 heads "5" long. The Behar (Dalalganj) specimens are very dwarf with the scapes 

 only 2" high, the leaves runcinate with lanceolate lobes. 



53. SONCHUS, L. 



Herbs with milky juice. Leaves radical or alternate, cauline often 

 amplexicaul, entire toothed or pinnatifid, often spinulose toothed. 

 Heads yellow irregularly corymbose umbellate or panicled, fls. all 

 ligulate and herm. Involucre often dilated thickened and conic at 

 the base with many-seriate herbaceous bracts, outer smaller, Eecep- 

 tacle flat naked. Cypsele sub-terete or compressed ribbed, not beaked. 

 Pappus copious, hairs many-seriate, very slender, simple, united at 

 the base into a deciduous ring. 



Inflorescence glandular, Cypseles sub-terete with 4^6 strong ribs . 1. arvengis. 



As in last, but inflorescence not glandular Var, glaber. 



Inflorescence not glandular, Cypseles flattened sub-alate . . 2. asper. 

 Inflor. sometimes glandular. Cypseles as in (2'), but muricate 



between the facial ribs 3, oleraceus. 



1. S. arYensis, L. Syn, S. orixensis, Roxh. ; Ban-palang, Beng. ; Bir 

 barangom, S. 

 A tall crisply-succulent hoUow-stemmed herb 3-4 ft. high nearly 

 glabrous or with copious gland-tipped hairs above and always white 



497 



