370 Lxxiii. COMPOSITE (OLIVER AND hiern). [Odontospermum. 



lucral bracts pauciseriate, ovate or linear, nneqnal ; the inner ones dry ; 

 the outer herbaceous or foliaceous. Receptacle slightly convex, fur- 

 nished with oblong paleae nearly as long as the florets, the outer paleae 

 subtending the florets, the inner semi-cylindrical, embracing the florets. 

 Ligules 2-3-dentate. Corolla of the disk-florets tubular, acutely 

 5-lobed. Anthers sagittate at the base, appendaged with long linear 

 auricles. Style-branches somewhat compressed, rounded and rather 

 dilated at the apex. Achenes costate ; those of the ray somewhat 

 compressed or trigonous ; those of the disk subterete. Paleas of the 

 pappas numerous, distinct, scarious, cut towards the apex, equalling 

 the ovary. — Tough herbs or undershrubs, with alternate toothed or 

 entire leaves and solitary heads terminating the lateral and terminal 

 branches. 



A genus of about 8 species ranging from the Levant to the Cape de Verde 

 Islands. 



1. O. grraveolens, SchuUz Bip. in Webb et Berth, Phyt. Ganar. ii. 

 p. 282. Shrubby, much-branched, ranging up to 1^ ft. high. Bran- 

 ches rigid, whitish, obsoletely velvety. Leaves pinnately lobed or 

 remotely toothed, often mucronate, sessile, more or less narrowed above 

 the cordate-amplexicaul base, hoary, viscid or shortly hairy, ranging 

 up to 2 in. long. Capitula hemispherical, terminal and subsessile in 

 the forks of the lateral branches, -J— J in. diameter, usually involu crate 

 with 1-3 floral leaves at the base. Involucral bracts ovate, puberulous ; 

 the outermost linear, mucronate or apiculate, foliaceous. Florets 

 yellow ; ligule acutely toothed at the apex, shortly exceeding the disk. 

 Achenes hairy on the ribs. — Buphthalmum graveolens, Forsk. Fl. 

 ^gypt.-Arab. p. 151 (1775). Asteriscus graveolenSj I>C. ^rodr. y. -p. 

 486 (1836). 



ITorth Central. Middle Soudan, Beurmann, fide Schweinf. Ber. Beurm. Pfl. in 

 Zeitschr. Allg. Erdk. xv. p. 300 (1863). 



Occurs also in Egypt and Arabia. 



53. AMBROSIA, L. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. ii. p. 354. 



Capitula unisexual ; of male florets small spicate or racemose, many- 

 flowered, with a broadly hemispherical gamophyllous shortly lobed 

 herbaceous involucre ; receptacle nearly plane, with or nearly without 

 filiform palese ; female capitula sessile or clustered in the upper axils, 

 l-flowered, apetalous. $ corolla white, regular, 5-fid ; anthers free or 

 nearly so, base entire. ? involucre ovoid or subglose, closed over the 

 achene, usually with 4-6 tubercles or short spines, narrowed above 

 into a short beak. — Herbs or frutescent, more or less hairy with alter- 

 nate (or opposite) bipinnately divided leaves. 

 A small widely diffused genus of warm countries. 



1. A. maritima, Linn. 8p. PI. ed. i. p. 988. A coarse annual, 

 woody below, 1-3 ft. high, whole plant usually very hairy and hoary, 

 much-branched. Leaves ovate, bipinnatipartite, 1-3 in. long; seg- 

 ments obtuse, sometimes toothed. Capitula subsessile, ^--^ in. diameter, 



