416 COMPOSITE, (composite family.) 



with a small, oblique beak — Spring — Jebel Bil'as (Syrian desert) ; 

 subalpine Lebanon and Antilebanon ; Damascus. Too near the last. 



3. M. longifoIiu§, Boiss. et Reut. © .1 to .2, clothed with 

 sJioi't wool inflated at clusters ; branches spreading from neck. Leaves 

 flat, hng, linear, acutish, the floral lo7ig overtopinng the clusters. Scales 

 of involucre leaf-like, oblong-linear, obtuse ; pales tender, densely 

 woolly, semicircidarly cuvoed, not gibbous at lack, with a small, terminal 

 beak — Spring — Antilebanon to Damascus, Aleppo, and northward. 



* * Scales of involucre obsolete. Pales echinate at hack. 



4. M. §npinus, L. .1 to .2, appressed-canescent, branching 

 from neck, difi:use. Leaves ohoxate-spatJiulate, tapering at base. Heads 

 solitary in tlie axils ; pales few, at length icoody, oitriangular — Spring 



— Fields drying up after inundation ; Palestine to Coelesyria, Anti- 

 lebanon, Aleppo, and northward. 



§. FIL,AOO, L. Cotton Rose. 



Heads small, discoid, clustered. Scales of involucre in 2-5 rows, 

 gradually merging into pales. Receptacle elongated or flat, naked at 

 centre where the perfect flowerets are inserted. Outer flowerets pistil- 

 late in 2-several rows, flliform, each in the axil of a bract, with bald 

 akenes, central few, tubular, with a pappus of scabrous bristles — 

 Annual, woolly herbs. 



* Headlets numerous, densely clustered. Receptacle fHifon^m. 



1. F. Oermanica, L. © .2 to .5, grey ; stem simple below or 

 branching from neck, corymbose above. Leaves numerous, erect, ob- 

 long to linear-lanceolate, those of stem not tapering at base. Clusters 

 dense, globular, sessile in the forks or terminal ; headlets 20-30 ; in- 

 volucre obconical, obtusely pentagonal ; scales erect, loose, lanceolate, 

 with a tapering subulate point. 



Var. eriocepliala, Boiss. Involucre woolly for three-fourths of 

 its length ; scales with shorter points, frequently only acute — Spring 



— Coast to middle zone of Lebanon : Moab ; Gilead ; HaurSn. 



2. F. §patliu]ata, Presl. © .2 to .4, grey ; stem branching 

 from neck. Leaves ohlong-spathulate. Clusters dense, in the forks and 

 terminal ; headlets 12-15 ; involucre ovoid, rather sharply pentagonal, 

 scales appressed, oblong, keeled, with a tapering subulate tip, inner 

 scales rather obtuse — Spring — Coast, Lebanon, Ccelesyria, and Anti- 

 lebanon. 



Var. prostrata, Boiss. Much branched, prostrate ; clusters 

 numerous, frequently close together. Scales tomentellous except at 

 tip — Sandy places ; coast to Jerusalem, Jordan Valley, Syrian 

 Desert, et-Tih, and southward. 



* * Headlets few, clustered, separated ly tracts. Receptacle flat. 



t Scales of involucre in few rows, alternate, wide open after flowering. 



3. F. arTensis, L. © .1 to .2, canescent ; stem erect, panicled 

 above or branching from base, branches erect, almost simple, nearly 

 spicate. Leaves oblong to linear-lanceolate, acute, erect. Clusters 

 lateral and terminal ; involucre ovate, outer scales 3-5, concave, herba- 

 ceous, inner 8, longer, scarious, somewhat obtuse — Spring — Middle 

 to subalpine Lebanon, Antilebanon, Aintab, and northward. 





