442 COMPOSIT.E. (COJEPOSITE FAMILY.) 



rows. Receptacle convex, more or less hirsute. Styles of perfect 

 flowerets truncate, tasseled at tip. Akenes beakless, furrowed and 

 ribbed, those of margin bald, those of disk with hairy pappus — 

 Perennial herbs, with large, yellow flowers. 



I>. Caiiea§icuiii, MB. 71 .5 to .7, glabrescent ; stem erect, 

 1-hcaded. Root-leaves jpetioled, coidate-orbicular, repand or crenate ; 

 stem-leaves 1-2, sessile, cordate-claspiog, ovate to oblong. Flowers 

 .05 broad ; rays about as long as somewhat bristly involucre — Spring 

 — Subalpine and alpine Lebanon, and Nusairy Mountains. 



43. SEMECIO, L. Groundsel. 



Heads usually heterogamous. Marginal flowerets strap-shaped, in 

 one row, pistillate ; disk-flowerets perfect, tubular. Heads rarely 

 discoid, with flowerets all alike, tubular. Involucre cup-shaped, scales 

 in 1 row, sometimes with squamules at base. Receptacle flat, naked. 

 Styles of perfect flowerets truncate, tasseled at tip. Akenes beakless, 

 furrowed and ribbed, all with hairy, commonly deciduous pappus in 

 more than 1 row. Herbs, annual, biennial, and perennial, growing in 

 moist places, rarely woody at base ; flowers yellow. 



* Annuals. Stem-leaves more or less divided, auricled at lase. 

 t Rays none, or 'barely longer than involucre. 



1. S. Decais'iiei, DC. © MururaJi. A^dbi''-el-''Arus. Bammdd- 

 BaMyim. .2 to .4 ; stem erect, forked, rarely simple. Leaves rather 

 fleshy, the lower ovate-oblong, toothed, short-petioled, those of stem 

 cordate-clasping at base, irregularly toothed. Heads discoid, obconical- 

 cylindrical, .01 long, .004 broad ; pappus caducous, longer than akenes 

 Spring — Rocks and sandy places ; Dead Sea to Sinai and Egypt. 



2. S, vulgaris, L. .1 to .3. Lower leaves oblong-spathu- 

 late, toothed, tapering into a short petiole, the rest half-clasping at 

 base, oblong, pinnatifid or parted into remote, oblong, obtuse, unequal- 

 ly dentate lobes. Heads corymbed, crowded or loose, nodding, .007 

 long, .004 broad, obconical-cylindrical, discoid, short-rayed ; akenes 

 tapering above, shorter than pappus — November to March — Coast. 



t t Rays longer than involucre, or 0. 



X ATcenes pubescent or puberulent. 



3. S. leiicanthemifolius, Poir, © .3. Leaves oblong, pin- 

 natifid into oblong, dentate lobes. Heads oUo7ig, rayed, .005 long, 

 .003 broad ; akenes short; pappus as long as disk — November to 

 April — Coast. 



Var. discoidea, Post. Rays — Coast, along with type. 



4. S. vernalis, W.K. © .2 to .6. Leaves oblong, sinuate to 

 pinnatifid into oblong, toothed lobes. Heads cup-shaped, .01 to .015 

 long and broad ; rays as long as involucre or longer; pappus _?j»ems^6?i?, 

 as long as disk — November to May — Common throughout. 



Var. carnosiis, Post. Leaves fleshy, more dissected ; heads 

 .015 long and broad — Sands ; Jaffa. 



Var. nanus, Boiss. Stems .03 to .1 high ; heads few, small — 

 Alpine Antilebanon. 



