406 LXXVIII. COMPOSITE. (J. D. Hooker.) [Lactuca. 



on each side of the dorsal face ; the base of the beak is black in this (white in longi- 

 folia}- the pappus is dirty-white or yellowish. Ligules pale yellow within, purplish 

 outside in Assam (Griffith), sulphur yellow in China (Hancc in litt.). 



** JBeaJt father stout, coloured. 



9. Xi. Clarkei, Hook. f. ; annual, glabrous, stem erect with lateral wide 

 spreading branches from the 'base and upwards, leaves coriaceous radical linear 

 rimcinate-pinnatifid terminal lobe long-acuminate lateral triangular acute denti- 

 culate or quite entire, cauline lanceolate entire or sinuate-toothed finely acumi- 

 nate sessile base simple or ^-amplexicaul not auricled, heads in. long suberect 

 numerous in ped uncled clusters along the branches, peduncles bracteolate, outer 

 invol. bracts all green ovate or oblong-ovate, inner 5-6 linear-oblong with 

 narrow pale margins, achenes slender fusiform gradually narrowed into a cyliudric 

 beak strongly ribbed smooth black, pappus twice as long as the achenes silveiy. 



WESTERN TIBET; Iskardo, alt. 8000 ft., Clarke. 



Habit of Sect. I., but evidently most closely to L. tatarica in the foliage heads and 

 achenes. Stem 6-12 in., flexuous, and branches rather rigid. Radical leaves 2-4 in., 

 sparingly toothed or lobed, stiff when dry and dull dark green, the points of the lobes 

 and the tip being almost pungent. Heads neither corymbose nor panicled but clustered 

 on short branches ; invol. bracts quite smooth, acute, pale green ; ligules blue. 

 Achenes I in., beak pale at the tip; pappus ^ in., deciduous, white. 



10. Ii. tatarica, C. A. Meyer, Enum. PL Cauc. 56 ; var. tibetica (achene 

 shortly beaked) ; perennial ? glabrous, stem stout erect leafy paniculately 

 branched above, leaves coriaceous radical and lower sinuate-toothed or rimci- 

 nate-pinnatifid and sharply toothed, cauline similar or less lobed base simple or 

 auricled, heads erect f in. panicled peduncled solitary or clustered, peduncles 

 bracteolate, outer invol. bracts all green ovate or oblong-ovate, inner 5-6 linear- 

 oblong, achenes narrowly oblong strongly ribbed quite smooth suddenly con- 

 tracted beneath the pappus into a very short cyliudric beak, pappus twice as 

 long as the achenes silvery. Clarke Comp. Ind. 267. 



WESTERN TIBET; Nubra, Hanli, &c., alt. 12-16,000 ft., Thomson, Stolic~ka. 

 DISTRIB. of L. tatarica, Central Asia and Siberia. 



This so strongly resembles L. tatarica, a native of Affghanistan, that, except for 

 the achenes, I do not see how it can be separated; these are however of a different 

 form, and not very like those of any other Lactuca ; they are narrowly linear | in. long, 

 with a very inconspicuous beak, remarkably strong ribs, of which the median ventral 

 one is the most prominent. The tips of the leaves and their lobes are almost pungent. 



SECT. IV. Perennial usually tall leafy herbs (habit of Prenanthes), with 

 large tuberous or fusiform roots, and more or less pinnatifid or pinnate and 

 sharply toothed leaves. Heads very numerous, drooping or pendulous, in large 

 terminal panicles or paniculate racemes ; outer invol. bracts usually very short, 

 inner few long narrow often with dilated tips ; ligules blue violet or purple'. 

 Achenes smooth ; pappus deciduous. 



11. Zi. graciliflora, DC. Prodr. vii. 139 ; glabrous or leaves puberulous, 

 tall, leafy ^paniculately branched above, lower leaves petioled pinnate or pinna- 

 tifid terminal lobe large deltoid or triangular-ovate acute irregularly toothed, 

 pinnies 1-pair, middle upper leaves like the terminal lobe of the lower, upper- 

 most sessile ovate or lanceolate, heads very many narrow -^ in. long 3-4-fld. 

 in large open panicles glabrous drooping', peduncles slender, outer invol. bracts 

 minute inner 5-6 very narrow with dilated tips, achenes narrowly oblong or 

 oManceolate smooth, margins thickened constricted at the top into a short 

 thick beak, pappus dirty white. L. Brunoniana, Clarke, Comp. Ind. 226, mainly, 

 not of Wall. Prenanthes graciliflora, Wall. Cat. 3260. P. rostrata, SI. Bijd. 

 83'6 : DC. I c. Mulgediuni rostratum, 8chultz-Bfp. in Mig. Fl. Ind. Sat. ii. 115. 



