THE SAW-WORT. 11 



able. All the florets in the same head are perfect, and 

 similar in form, or else those of the circumference are fili- 

 form, tubular, or ligulate. If our readers will gather a 

 good selection of composite flowers, they will have no diffi- 

 culty in sorting them into the three tribes, as the first and 

 second are each very distinct from the third, and from each 

 other, and all that do not fall naturally into tribes one or 

 two, must of necessity go to number three. The milfoil, 

 the daisy, the tansy, the coltsfoot, the ragwort, the leopard's- 

 bane, the flea-bane, the feverfew, and the corn-marigold 

 are all characteristic plants of the third great tribe of the 

 composites, and may all be found represented amongst our 

 illustrations. 



The general habit and appearance of the saw-wort, 

 when we see it growing, suggest its near relationship to 

 the thistles, but it has not the formidable prickles with 

 which those are armed. The general growth is stiff and 

 erect, and the leading stems spring direct from the root, 

 and are only slightly branched ; such branching as there is 

 preserves the general upward direction. The plant is 

 ordinarily from two to three feet high. The saw-wort is a 

 perennial, and its blossoms appear about August. It should 

 be looked for in open woods and thickets. It is fairly distri- 

 buted throughout England and Wales, but does not appear 

 to be indigenous either to Scotland or Ireland. The 

 lower leaves of the plant are pinnate, each of the four or 

 five pairs of lateral segments being aciitely pointed, and 

 the terminal member larger than the others. The upper 

 leaves are either simple in form, or with one or two pairs 

 of lobes at their base. All the leaves, no matter what 

 their position on the plant, have their outlines finely 

 toothed, hence the generic name Serratnla, a name derived 



