Sonchus."] Lxxiii. composite: (Oliver and hiern). 457 



116. SONCHTJS, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PL ii. p. 528. 

 Capitnla homogamous, ligulate. Involucre campannlate oblong or 

 cylindrical, a*t length. usually thickened at the base; bracts in several 

 rows, the innermost ones usually longer and subequal, the outer short 

 imbricated. Receptacle flat, naked. Ligule truncate, 5-deutate at tLe 

 apex. Anther-base sagittate ; auricles shortly setaceous-acuminate. 

 Style- branches slender. Achenes obovoid-oblong or narrow, more or 

 less compressed rarely subterete, 10-20-costate or -striate, somewhat 

 narrowed at both ends, not beaked. Pappus copiously setose, fine, 

 smooth, usually white, deciduous in one piec^. — Herbs sometimes 

 shrubby at the base, with alternate or radical leaves and yellow 

 flowers. 



A genus of about 24 species widely spread es^^ecially ov?r the Old World. 

 Boissier, Fl. Orient, iii. p. 797, gives the -widely spread Mediterranean find Levant 

 species, Sonchus tenerrimus, Linn., as extending to Abyssinia. 

 Capitula many-flowered ; inner involucral bracts numerous. 

 Annual. 

 Leaves oval or oblong. Capitula subglabrous. Achenes 



oblong . . I. S. oleraceus. 



Leaves lanceolate-linear. Capitula woolly at the base. 

 Achenes obovate. 



Inrolucral bracts setose -hispid 2. 8. angustissimus. 



Involucral bracts glabrous or somewhat woolly at the 



base, not setose-hispid S. 8. 8chweinfurthii. 



Capitula 8-27-flowered ; inner involucral bracts 5-10. 

 Perennial. 

 Loosely branched. 



Achenes transversely scabrid-rugulose or squamulose. 



Pedicels slender A. 8. Biponiini. 



Pedicels rigid, not jjlender. 



Capitula 20-27-flowered, rather numerous . . . 5. 8. cornuitis. 



Capitula about 13 -flowered, few 6. 8. Brunneri. 



Achenes smooth 7. ^. prenanthoides. 



Closely branched. Achenes smooth. 



Habit bushy. Capitula 20-25-flowered 8. 8. melanolepis. 



Habit virgate. Capitula about 8-flowered . ... 9. 8. rarifolius. 



1. S. oleraceus, Linn. Sp. PZ,, edit. i. p. 794 (1753). A coarse 

 erect annual, l|-3 ft. high. Stem glaucescent striate branched above. 

 Leaves oval or oblong, undivided or runcinate or pinnatifid, usually 

 aculeate-denticulate, 1-6 in. long ; those of the stem sessile amplexi' 

 caul auriculate. Capitula campanulate, about J in. long exclusive of 

 the flowers, many-flowered, on rather short usually setose- glandular 

 pedicels, in corymbose cymes. Inner involucral bracts numerous, sub- 

 glabrous, linear- lanceolate, subobtuse. Achenes compressed, obovate, 

 10-15-striate, brown, ^ - in. long, transversely rugose in S. oleraceus 

 proper or in the subspecies S. asper, All. (8. spi7wsus, Lam.) without 

 transverse rugosities. — A. Rich. Fl. Abyss, i. p. 467 ; S. macrotus^ 

 Fenzl in Flora, 1844, p. 312 ; S. Schimperiy A. Br. et Bouche App. 

 Ind. Sem. Hort. Berol. 1857, p. 1. 



Wile Ziand. Abyssinia, 8chimper/ Nubia, Kotschy ! Karague and Unyoro, 

 Speke and Grant! Sennaar and Ukereve-land. 



A cosmopolitan weed. 



