COMPOSITE. 13 



In meadows, marshes, and bogs, and by the sides of ditches. 

 Very common, and generally distributed. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Biennial or Annual. 

 Late Summer and Autumn. 



Stem stout, erect, furrowed, 1 to 5 feet high paniculately 

 branched, with the branches much shorter than the main stem, 

 spreading-ascending, narrowly winged, the wings with numerous 

 long slender spines. Spines on the edges of the leaves similar to 

 those on the wing of the stem. Pericline i to ^ inch across, by 

 ^ to f long ; outer phyllaries blackish-purple, inner ones bright- 

 purple, except in the white-flowered states, when they are pale 

 green. Elowers dark dull-crimson-purple. Achenes pale fawn- 

 colour, sub-cylindrical, smooth, central tubercle cylindrical. Pappus 

 rather short (about twice as long as the achene), dirty-white. Plant 

 deep dull-green, the leaves sometimes slightly hoary beneath. 



Marsh- Thistle. 



French, Cirse des Marais. German, Sumpf Kratzdistel. 



The stalks of this species of Thistle are said to be equally as good as those of 

 the Milk-Thistle, and in Evelyn's time were similarly employed. 



SPECIES VII.— C ARDUUS TUBEROSUS. Linn, 

 Plate DCLXXXIX. 



Rdch. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. XV. Tab. DCCCXXXIX. Fig. 2. 



Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 804. 



Cirsium bulbosum, D. C. Koch, Syn. Fl. Germ, et Helv. ed. ii. p. 456. Gr. & Godr. 



Fl. de Fr. Vol. II. p. 218. 

 Cnicus tuberosus, Willd. Sm. Eng. Bot. No. 2562. Hooh & Am. Brit. Fl. ed. viiL 



p. 237. 



Perennial. Bootstock "not stoloniferous " (Gr. & G.), with 

 elliptical fusiform-cylindrical root-fibres. Stem erect, not winged, 

 simple or slightly branched, with the branches very long, erect. 

 Lower leaves attenuated into a petiole ; stem-leaves sessile, semi- 

 amplexicaul but scarcely auricled, not decurrent ; all undulated, 

 deeply pinnatifid, with the segments rather remote, 2-, 3-, or even 

 4-cleft, with the lobes elongated, diverging, spinous-ciliate, sub- 

 glabrous beneath. Anthodes solitary, stalked, without leaves in 

 their immediate vicinity. Pericline ovate-globular, depressed at 

 the base, very slightly arachnoid ; phyllaries adpressed, with a 

 dorsal nerve in the upper part, the outer ones lanceolate, mucro- 

 nate, the inner ones strapsbaped, scarious and coloured at the tip. 

 Pappus plumose. 



