138 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



equal to them in length ; inner phyllaries with the midrib bristly, 

 excurrent from the back a little way below the apex. Achenes 

 brick-red, abruptly acuminated at the apex, and produced into a 

 beak longer than themselves, the greater part of which breaks off 

 with the deciduous snow-white pappus. 



Bristly Ox-tongue. 



French, Rehninthie Viperine. German, Natter Jcopfa/r tig es Wiirmkraut. 



When young, this plant forms an agreeable pot-herb ; the juice is milky, and not 

 too bitter in an early stage. 



GENUS XXXV— H RAGOPOGON. Linn. 



Anthodes many-flowered. Pericline lanceolate-oblong, of 8 to 16 

 equal phyllaries in 1 series, united at the base. Clinanth naked. 

 Achenes fusiform, sessile, the exterior ones muricated, all pro- 

 duced into a long slender beak. Pappus of all the florets of dirty- 

 white plumose hairs, five of which are longer and naked at the 

 apex ; the secondary hairs interwoven. 



Herbs, often smooth, with grass-like or leek-like leaves, having 

 a white hollow midrib. Anthodes large, solitary, with yellow, 

 purple, or lilac florets. Phyllaries reflexed after the fall of the 

 achenes. 



The derivation of the name of this genus of plants is from rpayoQ (tragos), a 

 goat, and Trwytjp (pogon), a beard, which the down of the seed is said to resemble. 



SPECIES I.— TRAGOPOGON PRATENSIS. Linn. 

 Plates DCCXCVIII. DCCXCIX. DCCC. 



Leaves linear, those of the stem dilated at the base and ab- 

 ruptly acuminated into a slender point towards the apex, glabrous. 

 Peduncles scarcely thickened beneath the anthodes. Plorets yellow. 

 Achenes with the beak about as long as the achene, ribbed ; those 

 of the outer florets usually muricated on the ribs. Pappus of all 

 the florets of plumose hairs. 



Var. a, genuinus. 

 Plate DCCXCVIII. 



Billot, F). Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 3427. 



Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. XIX. Tab. MCCCLXXXIX. 



T. pratensis, Fr. Bah. Man. Brit. Eot. ed. v. p. 195. Fries, Nov. Fl. Suec. ed. ii. 

 p. 240 ; Sum. Veg. Scand. p. 5. 



Plorets about equal in length to the phyllaries. 



