Excerpia Botanica. 347 



Hub. in Thracla (ex auctoribus antiquiorllms) ; in Bannatu Hun- 

 gariae (ubi, ex cl. Rochel, sylvas extensas efficit) ; in Italia su- 

 periori (ex cl. Reichenbach. Flor. Germ, excurs.). 



This species is thus characterized by Willdenow : — " C. sti- 

 pulis lanceolatis, acuminatis ; calyce fructus duplici : exteriore 

 multipartito, interiore tripartite, laciniis pabnatis ; foHis sub- 

 rotundo-ovatis, cordatis." By Poiret (Encycl.), " C. stipulis 

 linearibus, acutis ; calycibus profunde dissectis ; fructu max- 

 imo :" and by Reichenbach^ " C. nuce abbreviata ; calyce 

 fructus patentissimo, duphci : exteriore multipartito ; interiore 

 tripartite ; laciniis palmatis ; foliis subrotundo-ovatis cordatis 

 inciso-angulatis." Many of these characters are incorrect, 

 and none of them sufficiently constant for specific definition. 



The fructiferous involucres, or calyx of the above-cited au- 

 thors, is in this, as in all the other species, simple ; that which 

 has been incorrectly taken for an exterior involucre or calyx 

 being nothing more than the involucres of the abortive flowers 

 and the bracteas of the fertile ones, which are equally found at 

 the base of the fruit in the other species. The involucres of 

 the abortive flo^A■ers always remain very minute. Tlie form 

 and size of the bracteas vary infinitely in all the species, and 

 afford no good character. According to Reichenbach, the 

 fructiferous involucre of C. Colurna is very patulous ; but that 

 distinguished botanist appears to have fallen into eiTor from 

 the examination of badly dried specimens, since the involucre 

 is constantly straight and connivent up to the summit or 

 nearly so, as we have determined from an examination of a 

 great many different varieties in a living state. This struc- 

 ture of the fructiferous involucre is in fact the sole character 

 by which the fruit of C. Colurna can be distinguished from 

 that of certain varieties of C.Avellana; for although, in general, 

 the segments of the iiivolucre of (J. Colurna are much more 

 deeply laciniated than is ordinarily the case in C. Avellana, 

 still there are some varieties of the former which have the 

 segments split only to one-third, or at most to one-half, and 

 some very common varieties of C. Avellana which have the 

 mvolucral segments very deeply palmatifid. The involucre of 

 C. Colurna is sometimes nearly glabrous, sometimes more or 

 less pubescent, sometimes almost cottony, and often bristled 

 with hairs or glandular bristles. Its size is as variable as in 

 C. Avellana, or rather as in all the species. The straps {la- 

 niercs) of its segments are very entire, or jagged, or inciso- 

 dentate, or bi- or tri-furcate, more or less acuminate, or only 

 pointed, very frequently more or less divaricated at the sum- 

 mit, generally narrow, being either linear, linear-lanceolate, 

 demi-lanceolate or subl'alciform, less frequently very broad and 



