COMPOSITE. 81 



This is one of the most troublesome weeds in our gardens, on account of its little 

 feathery fruits, -which blow about and vegetate wherever they fall. It is, however, so 

 favourite a salad with our little cage-birds, that we never see it without thinking of 

 their pleasant songs, and are perhaps tempted to be indulgent to it accordingly. It 

 should, however, be carefully weeded from every well-kept garden. Infused in water, 

 it is said to make a pleasant wash for the skin, from its property of softening the water. 

 The bruised leaves are affirmed to be a good application to boils. A poultice of the 

 leaves applied to the pit of the stomach is said to cause vomiting, and an infusion taken 

 internally produces the same effect. 



SPECIES II.— S ENECIO SYL V A T I C U S. Linn. 

 Plates DCCL. DCCLI. 



Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Yol. XVI. Tab. CMLX. Figs. 2, 3. 

 Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 578. 



Stem rather weak and fragile, corymbosely branched, with the 

 branches ascending. Lower leaves oblanceolote or obovate, nar- 

 rowed towards the base ; upper ones oblong, sessile, or semi- 

 amplexicaul ; all deeply and interruptedly sinuate - pinnatifid, 

 with the segments unequal and the largest ones toothed or cut. 

 Corymbs combined in a large irregular terminal flat-topped com- 

 pound corymb. Authodes erect. Pericline cylindrico - conical, 

 glandular- puberulent ; outer phyllaries less than one-fourth the 

 length of the inner. Plorets of the ray very short, revolute. 

 Achenes pubescent on the ribs. Plant puberulent, or pubescent 

 with gland-tipped hairs. 



On banks and dry pastures, and heaths, waste places, and open 

 woods. Rather common, and generally distributed. 



Var. a, genuimis. 

 Plate DCCL. 



S. sylvaticus, Sin. Eng. Bot. No. 748. 



Upper leaves not auriculate. 



Var. ^, auriculatus. W. Meyer. 

 Plate DCCLI. 

 S. lividus, Sm. Eng. Bot. No. 2515 (non Linn.). 



Upper leaves semi-amplexicaul, with distinct auricles. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Annual. Late Summer 



and Autumn. 



Very like the common groundsel, but yellower green, viscid- 

 glandular and odorous ; the stem tougher and less juicy ; the 



VOL. V. M 



