STNGENESIA : POLYGAMIA FRUSTRANEA. 499 



Blue-bottles. Jngils. 



Blue bonnets: Scotis aujtral. 



In corn-fields not uncommon. O. VII. 



The whole plant is Qightly cover'd with a cotton 

 down : the ftalk is a'yard high, ereft, hard, an- 

 gular, and branch'd towards the top : the lower 

 leaves are either indented, ©r pinnatifid, the ex- 

 treme fegment being largeft: and elliptical : the 

 upper ones are narrow and linear : each branch 

 is terminated with a fpecious blue flower : the 

 fcales of the calyx arc triangular, of a pale 

 green, or whitifli colour, their edges fufcouSj 

 toro or ferrated, and ciliated with white hairs : 

 the barren florets which compofe the rays of the 

 flower, grow horizontal, are commonly nine in 

 number, remarkably large, obliquely funnel- 

 fhap'd, and cut into fix, feven, or eight broad 

 ferratures at the rim. The filaments below the 

 Anthera are furrounded with a hairy ring. The 

 ftyle is barb'd beneath the ftigma. 



The flowers are received as an ornament in the 

 garden, and vary much in colour, being not 

 only blue, but white, purple, fiefh-colour'd^ 

 and variegated. 



The neutral florets infufed in water, or any fpi- 

 rituous liquor, give it a beautiful blue colour, 

 which being mixed with an acid^ turns red, with 

 an alkali green : a fine colour is alfo prepared 

 from them for the ufe of painting, by drying 

 them firft into cakes, in a hair-fieve in an oven, 

 after the manner of drying faffron. See Gentle- 

 man's Magazine ^ 174^5 March. 



K k 2 The 



