DIPSACE^E. VI. SCABIOSA. 



695 



and toothed : cauline ones almost sessile, quite entire ; corollas 

 equal ; tube of involucel nearly cylindrical ; crown 20-24- 

 nerved, one-half shorter than the tube ; bristles of calyx spread- 

 ing, very short, inclosed. O- H. Native of Mauritania, Si- 

 cily, &c. Coult. dips. 9. t. 2. f. 15. Guss. prod. 1. p. 163. 

 Asterocephalus dichotomus, Lag. gen. et spec. 8. S. parviflora, 

 Desf. fl. atl. 1. p. 119. Lower leaves sometimes lyrate or jagged. 

 Corollas 5-eleft, and flesh-coloured ; but by some authors they 

 are said to be 4-cleft. 



Dichotomous-stemmed Scabious. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1804. 

 (PL 1 to 1^ foot. 



CO S. UHCEOLA'TA (Desf. fl. atl. 1. p. 122.) glabrous ; leaves 

 rather fleshy : radical ones oblong, bluntly and sinuately pin- 

 natifid : cauline ones pinnate-parted, with linear lobes ; leaves of 

 involucrum 5-7, combined at the base ; heads on long peduncles ; 

 corollas nearly equal. %. H. Native of Corsica, Sicily, Etru- 

 ria, Portugal, Mauritania at Tangiers, Tunis, and Mogodor, in 

 sand by the sea side. Coult. dips. p. 39. t. 2. f. 16. S. rntae- 

 f61ia, Vahl. symb. 2. p. 26. S. divaricata, Lam. ill. no. 1311. S. 

 maruima rutaefolia, Bocc. sic. t. 40. f. 3. Asterocephalus urceo- 

 latus, Spreng. Pycnocomon rutaefolium, Hofftn. et Link. fl. port. 

 1. c. Corollas pale yellow. 



l/rceo/a<e-involucred Scabious. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1804. 

 PI. 1 to 3 feet. 



* * Corollas 4,-cleft. 



61 S. SUCCISA (Lin. spec. 142.) root praemorse, or appearing 

 as if it was bitten off at the end ; radical leaves ovate-lanceolate, 

 acuminated at both ends : cauline leaves connate, almost entire ; 

 heads of flowers pedunculate ; leaves of involucrum disposed in 

 2-3 series ; corollas equal ; tube of involucel 4-sided ; crown 

 very short, undulated ; bristles of calyx short, a little exserted, 

 connivent. If. . H. Native of Europe even to Caucasus, very 

 common in bogs and moist meadows and pastures ; plentiful in 

 Britain. Fl. dan. t. 279. Smith, engl. bot. t. 878. Curt. lond. 

 3. t. 10. Coult. dips. p. 39. t. 2. f. 17. D. C. fl. fr. 4. p. 226. 

 Blackw. t. 142. Asterocephalus Succisa, Wallr. s!ied. 1. p. 52. 

 Succisa pratensis, Mcench. meth. p. 489. The lower stem leaves 

 are toothed, but the upper ones are entire. Involucrum hairy. 

 Flowers violet or dark purplish blue, varying to flesh-coloured 

 and milk-white. The leaves are sometimes gashed according to 

 Haller, and the heads of flowers are sometimes proliferous. In cul- 

 tivation the plant becomes more branched than in the wild state. 

 In days of superstition it was fabled that the Devil, envying the 

 good this herb might do to mankind, bit away a part of the root; 

 hence the plant is commonly called Deeil's-bit, This appear- 

 ance of a stumped root is not peculiar to S. succisa, but is ob- 

 served in some species of Plantago, and many other herbs. 

 According to Bergen the root is astringent, and the infusion of 

 it bitterish, but not unpleasant. A strong decoction of it, kept 

 a good while, was formerly an empirical secret for gonorrhoeas. 

 Linnaeus says that the dried leaves are used to dye wool yellow 

 or green. 



Var. a, hirsuta (Wallr. sched. 1. c.) stem, peduncles, and both 

 sides of leaves hairy. 1. H. Thii is the British variety. Suc- 

 cisa hirsuta, C. Bauh. pin. p. 269. 



Var. fl, glabrata (Wallr. sched. 1. c.) stem and both sides of 

 leaves glabrous. I/. H. Succisa glabra, C. Bauh. pin. 269. 

 S. glabrata, Schott. in Roem. et Schultes, syst. 3. p. 61. 



Common Devil' s-bit. Fl. Aug. Oct. Britain. PI. 1 foot. 



62 S. AUSTRALIS (Wulf. in Roem. arch. 3. p. 216.) plant 

 smoothish ; leaves ovate, elongated, acuminated, almost quite 

 entire : lowermost ones somewhat auriculated at the petioles ; 

 heads ovate ; leaves of involucrum disposed in two series ; co- 

 rollas equal ; tube of involucel lagenaeform ; crown obsolete ; 

 bristles of calyx abortive. I/ . H. Native of Upper Italy, 



Syria, and Pannonia, in marshy parts of woods, and by the sides 

 of rivulets. Coult. dips. p. 40. t. 2. f. 18. Rchb. pi. crit. 4. t. 

 325. S. repens, Brign. for Jul. 19. Nocc. et Balb. fl. ticin. 68. 

 t. 2. S. pseudaustralis, Rcem. et Schultes, syst. 3. p. 60. Roots 

 creeping, tufted. Corollas of a bluish violet or purple colour, 

 but Wulfen says they are yellow ; there are, therefore, 2 plants 

 probably confused under this name, or only mere variations in 

 the colour of the flowers. 



Southern Devil's-bit. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1820. PI. 1. ft. 



63 S. TENUII'OLIA (Linnaea. vol. 8.) bristles of pappus twice 

 longer than the denticulated calyx ; corollas downy, equal, 

 shorter than the involucrum ; heads ovate ; stem erect, 

 branched ; cauline leaves pinnate, with linear, acute, quite en- 

 tire, elongated segments. 3. H. Native country unknown. 

 Said to be nearly allied to S. Australis. 



Fine-leaved Devil's-bit. PI. 1 foot. 



t Species not sufficiently known. 

 1 . Leaves entire or serrated. 



64 S. ? AMPLEXICAC'LIS (Lin. inant. p. 195.) stem herbaceous, 

 brachiate ; leaves stem-clasping, lanceolate, quite entire : radi- 

 cal ones trifid ; corollas radiant, 4-cleft. Native country 

 unknown. Succisa amplexicaulis, Spreng. Said to be nearly 

 allied to S. integrifolia, Lin. Corollas bluish. According to 

 Coulter, it is probably a species of Knaulia. 



Var. ft, lyrata (Room, et Schultes, syst. 3. p. 62.) lower 

 leaves lyrate, obtuse, crenated ; superior ones lanceolate, ses- 

 sile. If,. H. Native of France. S. lyrata, Lam. ill. no. 1310. 

 Flowers pale red. 



Stem-clasping-]ea.\ed Scabious. PI. 1 foot. 



65 S. ? COCHINCHINE'NSIS (Lour. coch. p. 68.) stem quite 

 simple, nearly naked ; leaves lanceolate, undivided, undulated ; 

 radical leaves quite entire; involucrum 3-leaved; corollas 5- 

 cleft; pappus pilose. Native of China and Cochin-china. Aste- 

 rocephalus Cochinchinensis, Spreng. Flowers purple. Corollas 

 5-cleft, nearly equal. Bristles of calyx 5. 



Cochin-china Scabious. PL 1 foot. 



2. Leaves lyrate or pinnate- lobed. 

 * Corollas 4,-cleft. 



66 S. ? DAHU'RICA (Willd. in Room, et Schultes, syst. 3. p. 

 521.) leaves pinnate-parted, tomentose ; lobes pinnatifidly jag- 

 ged ; stem tomentose ; corollas 4-cleft, radiant. Native of 

 Dahuria. Coult. dips. p. 41. There is another plant under this 

 name by Fischer, cultivated in the gardens. 



Dahurian Scabious. PI. 1 foot. 



67 S. HIRTA (Willd. in Roem. et Schultes, syst. 3. p. 251.) 

 leaves all pinnate, and are as well as the stem hairy ; lobes or 

 segments linear-lanceolate, acute ; corollas 4-cleft, radiant. 

 Native of Siberia. Coult. dips. p. 41. The rest unknown. 



Hairy Scabious. PI. 1 to 2 feet. 



* Corollas 5-cleft. 



68 S. STYRiACA (Vest, in flora. 1821. p. 146.) plant clothed 

 with fine hairs ; stem much branched, many-flowered ; leaves all 

 pinnate-parted ; lobes lanceolate, few, each furnished with a tooth ; 

 leaves of involucrum linear, spreading ; corollas 5-cleft, radiant, 

 outer lobes acute ; crown quite entire ; bristles of calyx wanting. 

 Native of Styria. 



Styrian Scabious. PI. 1 to 2 feet. 



Cull. Many of the species of this genus are very ornamental, 

 and are well fitted for decorating flower-borders. The peren- 

 nial herbaceous kinds are easily increased by seed, or dividing 

 at the root. The seeds of annual kinds only require to be sown 



