COMPOSITE. (COMPOSITE FAMILY.) 457 



ments free, feathery, anthers bicaudate. Akenes obovate, hard, glossy, 

 hilum at base ; margiu and boss at apex nearly obsolete. Pappus 

 consisting of many rows of feathery bristles united at base in a 

 deciduous ring — Plants, woody at base, with linear-filiform, unarmed 

 leaves. 



C. alpiiii, Jaub. et Sp. 5 -^ ^^ -8 ; stems woolly-canescent. 

 Heads 3-9, corymbed, ovate, .02 to .03 long ; outer scales of involucre 

 triangular, acute, inner longer, lanceolate, scarious, purplish — March 

 to July — 



Var. camptolepis, Boiss. Scales of involucre ending in a prick- 

 ly, recurved tip — March to July — Hanging from face of precipices ; 

 coast to middle zone of coast ranges. 



62. OIVOPORDOX, L. Cotton Thistle. 



Heads homogamous, many- and equal-flowered. Scales of involucre 

 leathery, entire, spiny-tipped. Receptacle fleshy, honeycombed, cells 

 membranous, sinuate-toothed. Corolla ringent. Filaments free, glabrous, 

 anthers 2-lobed at base, tipped with an awl-shaped appendage. 

 Akenes obovate, 4-angled, somewhat compressed, hilum at base. 

 Pappus caducous, bristles scabrous or feathery, united at base in a 

 ring — Tall, spiny herbs, usually with large heads. 



* Pappus scabrous or plumose. Outer scales of involucre refiexed. 



t Scales gradually tapering from a Irroad hase into a spine. 



1. O. Illyricum, L. @ 1 or more, densely woolly-canescent, 

 except at upper face of leaves ; stem usually branching above, with 

 several, narrow, spiny-toothed wings. Root-leaves broad, lanceolate- 

 oblong, pinnatilid or parted into spiny-toothed lobes ; stem-leaves 

 smaller, decurrent. Heads depressed-globular, .05 to .08 broad, trun- 

 cate-concave at base ; scales of involucre purplish, all but the inner 

 spreading or reflexed — Spring — Fields ; coast to subalpine regions, 

 and interior plains. 



1 1 Scales more or less suddenly contracted from a hroad base. 



2. O. Sibtliorpianum, Boiss. et Held. (2) 1 or more, more or 

 less woolly-canescent ; stem and branches with very narrow, spiny 

 wings. Root-leaves oblong-lanceolate, pinnatifid or parted into spiny- 

 tipped lobes ; stem-leaves smaller, decurrent. Heads globular, .04 to 

 .08 in diameter, truncate or concave at base ; spines of involucre-scales 

 much longer than appressed, oblong base, the outer spreading or reflex- 

 ed — May — 



Var. Alcxandrinum, Boiss. Less woolly, cobwebby, greyish. 

 Leaves sometimes pinnately divided — Coast of southern Palestine 

 to lower Egypt. 



3. O. ambiguiim, Fresen. (g) .3 to .6 or more, snowy- woolly ; 

 stem with scarcely lobed, prickly wings. Leaves .15 to .05 long, .03 

 to .01 broad, scarcely lobed, serrate, armed with numerous, slender, yellow 

 pr icicles. Heads medium ; scales of involucre ovate at appressed base • 

 spines long, awl-shaped — April to June — Waste places ; Sinai ; 

 §ohrat-ed-Dimas. 



Var. liorridum, Post. Root-leaves much larger. Spines of 

 stems and leaves much stouter, often .02 long — Ma'lu (Moab). 



61 



