86 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



rat^wed glossy green leaves. Gerarde tells us that in his day the country people called 

 it " St. James his wort," also Staggerwort and Ragweed. It was formerly used medi- 

 cinally for many disorders, but does not seem to possess any valuable properties. The 

 leaves yield a good red dye ; and if the flowers be gathered open, and used fresh, they 

 will dye wool of a pale green, but the colour is apt to fade. If woollen cloth be boiled 

 in alum-water, and afterwards in a decoction of the flowers, it takes a beautiful deep 

 yellow. 



SPECIES YII.-SENE CIO AQUATICUS. Huds. 

 Plate DCCLVI. 



i 



Reicli. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. XVI. Tab. CMLXA^ 

 Bmot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 142. 



Biennial. Rootstock fleshy, short, almost vertical, not creeping. 

 Stem stiff, straight, corymbosely branched at the apex, with the 

 branches spreading-ascending. Radical leaves oval, undivided or 

 lyrate-pinnatipartite, with the lateral lobes small ; lower stem- 

 leaves stalked, lyrate-pinnatipartite ; upper ones semi-amplexicaul, 

 embracing the stem with short palmately-cut auricles, more or 

 less deeply pinnatifid ; with the segments toothed or inciso-serrate ; 

 all firm, slightly undulated, glabrous or sub-glabrous. Corymbs 

 separate or combined into a compound irregul:xr In:: corymb. 

 Anthodes erect. Pericline cylindrical-hemispherical, sub-glabrous ; 

 outer phyllaries very few, about one-third the length of the inner 

 ones, subulate. Achenes all glabrous. Plant sub - glabrous or 

 slightly arachnoid-hairy. 



Var. a, genuinus. Gr. & Godr. 



S. aquaticus, Reich. Fl. Excurs. p. 244. 



Radical leaves oval or ovate-oval, without lateral lobes, or with 

 small inconspicuous ones ; leaves up to the middle of the stem 

 lyrate-pinnate. 



Var. 3, pinnatifidiis. Gr. & Godr. 



S. barbarseifolius, Eeich. Fl. Excurs. p. 244 (non Krock). 



Radical and lower stem-leaves lyrate, with conspicuous lateral 

 lobes. Leaves in the middle of the stem deeply pinnatifid or 

 pinnatipartite. 



In wet meadows and pastures, sides of streams, ponds, and 

 ditches, &c. Common, and generally distributed. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Biennial or Perennial ? 



Autumn. 



