32 



LIVING PLANTS 



fore the cold weather. In this form it passes 

 the winter, thus becoming a winter annual. 

 The term is applied to distinguish such plants 

 from true biennials. It is in flower from July 

 to September. 

 The height of the plant is from a few inches 

 General in poor soil up to five or six feet, or more, in 



characters rich soil. As seen along fence rows and in 



and habits mcadows it stands as a rule about three or 



four feet high. In general the plant possesses 

 a central straight shaft, branched only above. 

 The lower half or two-thirds of the stalk is 

 clothed with leaves of quite uniform width, 

 four to six inches long by one to two inches 

 wide, while the upper half or third of the stalk 

 sends out spreading, rather bare branches, 

 much subdivided, and ultimately bearing in- 

 conspicuous yellow flowers. Each flow^er 

 (capitulum) gives rise to about a dozen dark 

 brown (so-called) seeds of similar shape to 

 those of the garden lettuce, but somewhat 

 shorter. Each seed (in reality a fruit, con- 

 sisting of a dry capsule inclosing the solitary 

 small seed, like all members of the composite 

 family) bears a slender rigid stalk as long as 

 itself, in turn supporting a white, fllmy para- 

 chute, like that of the dandelion seed, only 

 smaller, which serves to buoy up the ripe seed 

 and waft it long distances on currents of air. 

 The whole plant has a pale, pea-green color. 



