160 FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



under the name of A. nemorosum, the stalks of the lower 

 leaves are hollow, flattened above, and somewhat angular. 

 The flower-heads are large, almost stalkless, and usually 

 placed in threes. In the next, the A. minus of some 

 writers, the lower stems are hollow, almost round, and 

 scarcely furrowed ; the flower-heads are small in them- 

 selves, borne on small stalks, and scattered thinly along 

 the branches. In the third variety, the A. intermedium of 

 those who hold it to be a distinct species, the lower stems 

 are hollow and slightly furrowed, the flower-heads borne on 

 long stalks, the lowermost being the longest, and the in- 

 volucre woolly. In the A. Lappa, the specialists tell us, 

 the lower leaves have their stalks, solid ; but such a feature 

 is surely, in any case, of but slight value. It suffers, 

 too, under a practical disadvantage the great difficulty 

 that would often be experienced in getting these leaves at 

 all, as the plant is not only eaten by many animals, but, 

 from its growth by the roadside, is subject to all sorts of 

 casualties. 



