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Remarks on the Radiant-Jlowered Variety of Centaurea nigra or 

 " C. nigrescens.'''' By Edwin Lees, Esq., F.L.S. 



Mr. Roby, a gentleman known in the literary world as the author 

 of ' Traditions of Lancashire,' and several volumes of Travels, and 

 who adds botany to his varied accomplishments, has been staying at 

 Malvern this summer, and took the opportunity of running over and 

 examining the localities of the plants recorded in my ' Malvern Bo- 

 tany.' This he has done in the best spirit of his kindly nature, and 

 it is a pleasure to be thus " revised and corrected." Having called 

 my attention to a radiant-flowered Centaurea, which he considered as 

 C. Jacea, and on which Mr. Newman, in a late number of the ' Phy- 

 tologist' (Phytol. ii. 924), has, I see, suggested some queries for more 

 certain decision ; perhaps on my own ground I may, without pre- 

 sumption, offer an opinion. 



The specimens in question grow on a grass plot at Great Malvern, 

 near the chalybeate pool, in great profusion and luxuriance, inter- 

 mixed with the undoubted C. nigra. Having gathered a sufficient 

 number, I give the result of my examination. Whatever the conti- 

 nental C. Jacea may be, the question here only concerns, I appre- 

 hend, the plant so called by Sir J. E. Smith. On reference to the 

 fountain-head in this respect, the plant of Eng. Bot. t. 1678, it is evi- 

 dent that if that plate is implicitly to be depended on, the Malvern 

 plant at all events is not C. Jacea of Smith. In that plate C. Jacea 

 is represented with few calyx scales, all torn or only toothed, not ci- 

 liated ; while in C. nigra, and in our radiant-flowered form, they are 

 numerous, all the lower ones ciliated, the upper only torn. This, if 

 proved constant, appears to be a good distinction, and indeed Smith 

 relies entirely upon it, thus remarking, in E. B., under C. Jacea, "Mr. 

 Borrer's specimens agree precisely with the Swedish ones of Linnaeus, 

 and differ from C. nigra in having much narrower and sharper leaves 

 (the radical ones being toothed and sometimes laciniated) and radiant 

 flowers; more especially in the calyx-leaves being pale brown, mem- 

 branous and shining ; the uppermost rounded at the top and almost 

 entire ; the rest with a thin, whitish, jagged, pinnatifid margin, totally 

 different from the black fringed scales of C. nigra." Again, in E. B., 

 under C. nigra, he says, " The true Linnaean C. Jacea, found in Swe- 

 den, is essentially different in having the calyx-scales much paler, 

 membranous, laciniated, but not ciliated, and the flowers radiated." 

 It is also stated with respect to C. Jacea by other b'otanists, that there 

 is no pappus to the seed ; but as it is also stated by Smith vvith re- 



