Cardials and Cnicus which appear to he dioecious. 1 7 



Carduns and Cnicus in their wild state, and have found female 

 plants in Cnicus palmtris, pratetisis, and acatdis. In Carduus 

 nutans, acanthoides, and tenuijlorus, and in Cnicus lanceolatus, 

 I met with no deviation fi'om the usual structure. Carduus 

 marianus, which I saw in a garden only, was hermaphrodite, 

 as was Cnicus eriojihorus in the same place. Cnicus tuberosus 

 and heterophyllns, which I have also only seen cultivated, were 

 both female plants; and the figure of the latter, given by 

 Professor Hooker in the Flora Londi7iensis, is manifestly a 

 female. In the Herbariums specimens of both species occur 

 with perfect antherje. 



Of Carduus nutans, acanthoides, and tenuijlorus, which I have 

 mentioned as having hermaphrodite flowers onlj', it should be 

 noticed that I have seen very few of the first ; of the other two 

 indeed a considerable number, but all growing in one spot. 

 Cnicus lanceolatus is everywhere too obvious to leave any doubt 

 respecting it. 



Cnicus j)alustris. Having examined a considerable number 

 of specimens, the female plants I find are not numerous, and 

 bear but a small proportion to the antheriferous. The diffe- 

 rence in external appearance between the female and the an- 

 theriferous flowers is not so gi-eat or obvious as in some other 

 species ; the florets are of the same size, but the antheriferous 

 ones expand more, and the antliers project far beyond the la- 

 cinise of the corolla ; the style is at this period much longer 

 than it ever is in the female ; this is distinguished by the small 

 abortive antherge, which not rising beyond the little expanded 

 lacinia; of the corolla, are scarcely seen, while the projecting 

 styles have their stigmata more developed and a little waved.^ 

 Cniais irratcnsis 1 have seen in abundance only in one si- 

 tuation on Ashdown Forest, near Withyham in Sussex : here 

 both the female and antheriferous plants were growing, but in 

 separate patches : in two other spots in the same neighbour- 

 hood, where there was not a great quantity, I found only an- 

 theriferous plants. 



Cnicus acaulis I have seen growing abundantly, and the fe- 

 male plants seemed to be as fre(juent as the antheriferous. 



In examining exotic species, I was generally reduced to a 

 single plant of each; and sin)posing it to be dioecious, it was 

 probably an ecjual chance whether it was a male or a female : 

 if a female, it was readily known by the imperfect antherae: 

 but it was not so easy to distinguish a male from an herma- 

 l>lu-o(lite : this I attempted to do by examining the capitula, 

 wliich had flowered ; and when all the ovaria proved abortive, 

 1 concluded tliat the plant was a male. 



Vol. 61. No. 297. Jan. 1823. C I am 



