PLATE XXIII. 



1. ECHINOPS SPH^ROCEPHALUS. 



GREAT GLOBE THISTLE. 



THIS genus contains plants of the hardy, herbaceous, perennial 

 and annual kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Syngenesia Potygamia Segregate!, 

 and ranks in the natural order of Composite Capitatce. 



The characters are: that the calyx is common, many- leaved, with 

 scales subulate, totally reflected, containing many flowers : perian- 

 thium partial one-flowered, oblong, imbricate, cornered : leaflets 

 subulate, loose above, upright, permanent: the corolla one-petalled, 

 length of the calyx, tubular; border five-cleft, reflex, spreading: the 

 stamina consist of five capillary filaments, very short: anthers cylin- 

 dric, tubular, five-toothed: the pistillum is an oblong germ: style 

 filiform, length of the corolla : stigma double, somewhat depressed, 

 rolled back : there is no pericarpium : calyx unchanged, larger : the 

 seed single, ovate-oblong, narrower at the base, with obtuse tip: the 

 down obscure; the receptacle common globose and bristly. 



The species cultivated are: 1. E. spheerocephalus, Great Globe 

 Thistle; 2. E, ritro, Small Globe Thistle; 3. E. strigosus, Annual 

 Globe Thistle. 



The first has a perennial root. The stalks many, four or five feet 

 high. The leaves long and jagged, divided into many segments al- 

 most to the midrib, the jags ending in spines; they are of a dark- 

 green on their upper side, but woolly on their under. There are 

 several globular heads of flowers on each stalk. The florets are com- 

 monly blue, but sometimes white. These come out in July, and the 

 seeds ripen in August. It is a native of France, &c. 



It varies with white flowers. 



