•27. COMPOSIT.^. 



altogether absent; corolla monopetalous, sonietime.s regular 

 and tubular, with 4-5 equal teeth, sometimes irregular, 

 with the limb prolonged on one side in a Jitinl(i or ray; 

 stamens usually o, the antheis united in a tube round the 

 style, which is cut at the summit into 2 stigmatic lobes (the 

 descriptions of the style apply only to the bisexual flowers) ; 

 ovary inferior, 1-celled ; fruit (akenej dry, indehiscent, 1- 

 seeded. The hairs of the pappus are either plumose or 

 simple, but in the latter case they are more or less denticu- 

 late under the lens. 



The largest family in the vegetable kingdom, comprising 

 about 12,000 species. 



Subfamilies. 



Flowers in the centre of the head bisexual, 



rarely unisexual, tubular ; those of the 



circumference female or sterile, ligulate 



or sometimes tubular, and (in Annuo- 



hium) bisexual; style not swollen below 



the stigmatic branches 



Flowers all tubular, those of the centre 



bisexual, those of the circumference 



sterile, larger than the central ones, but 



never ligulate; style swollen below the 



stigmatic branches ; involucre or leaves 



spiny 



Flowers all ligulate, bisexual, the outer ones 



radiating 



CORYMBIFER* 1 



Cynaroide.e 

 LiarLAT.E 3 



Subfamily 1. — Corymbiferjj. 



A. Receptacle naked (without scales between 

 the flowers). 

 B. Akcnes with a pappus of simple hairs. 

 C. All flowers tubular, or the outer ones 

 with inconspicuous rays. 

 Anthers without tails. 



Involucral bracts equal, in 1 row ... 

 Involucral bracts overlapping, in 



several rows (partly) 



Anthers with tails ; involucral bracts 

 overlapping- 



C. Outer flowers ligulate (partly) 



B. Akcnes without a pappus of hairs. 



D. All flowers tubular. 



Akcnes ribbed and with a mem- 

 branous crown 



Akcnes without ribs or crown 



D. Outer flowers ligulate. 

 E. Pappus of scales. 



Involucral bracts free; scales short, 

 broad. 



Akcnes densely woolly 



Akencs silky, winged, apparently 

 3-coUed 



Senecio 1 



Epigeeon 2 



Inula 3 

 Erigeron 2 



Tanaceti'm 

 Artemisia 



Cryi'tostemma 5 

 Arctotis 6 



