551 



glabra (Annual cat's ear). Indigenous to Europe, 

 West Asia, and North Africa. An annual plant in its native home, 

 but in humid parts of Australia it lasts beyond the first year. It 

 besides throws far more luxuriantly in its new habitat than in 

 Europe, where the stems are mostly single and rarely above one 

 foot long. In Western Australia I have seen specimens with six 

 and m<>re stems rising from the same root, and reaching a height 

 of over j. 1 , It. The weed was noticed by me to be very common in 

 places in Xe\r South Wales. Stems smooth, erect, leafless, branching 

 towards the top ; leaves moderately emarginate, upwards of six 

 inches long at times, radiating from the root stock on the ground ; 

 flowers bright yellow, situated at the apices of the stem and its 

 branches ; seeds numerous, furnished with a feathery pappus. A 

 useless and aggressive weed, which is never touched by stock, 

 except under stress of circumstances. 



Inula grareolcns (Stinkwort). Indigenous to the Mediterranean 

 region. An annual (but sometimes a biennial in Australia) of 

 branching growth, reaching a height of over three feet ; stem woody 

 near base ; leaves oblong elliptical, moderately toothed and emargi- 

 nate below, slender and entire above ; flowers yellow, forming head- 

 lets situated at the nodes and terminally ; seeds with a pappus com- 

 posed of upwards of 32 bristles; on an average 30 seeds to each headlet. 

 The whole plant is covered with hairs, and produces a viscid exuda- 

 tion of a powerfully offensive odour. Probably the most aggressive, 

 and at the same time an entirely useless plant. The bristles of the 

 pappus are covered with four irregular rows of fine spicules. These, 

 sometimes amounting to over 400 to each bristle, are, when dry, of 

 glassy sharpness and cause acute and painful eczema where they 

 touch the skin. (A full description of such an attack may be found 

 in No. 14, vol. iv. June 3oth, 1897 of the Journal of the Bureau 

 of Agriculture of Western Australia). 



Kentrophylittm lanatum (Gaffron thistle ; woolly thistle. Syn. 

 Carthamus lanatns]. Indigenous to Southern Europe, Northern 

 Africa and South-western Asia. Under ordinary circumstances an 

 annuil plant, but sometimes it springs up again from the same root. 

 A moderately robust plant reaching a height of three feet and some- 

 times more. Leaves, bright green, stiff, moderately lobed, and 

 sharply spinous ; flower-heads, large, terminal, deep yellow, and 

 surrounded with numerous spinous leaflets. 



OuoporJon Acanthi n in (The heraldic Scotch thistle). Indigenous 

 to Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa. Heads large, pinkish, 

 and single on terminating branches ; leaves much drooping, almost 

 entire or only moderately lobed or indented, irregularly spinous 

 on margins ; stem more or less densely spinous. The whole 

 plant, but more particularly the underside of the leaves, is more or 

 less covered with a webby wooly vestment. This thistle never 

 grows to the height of the falsely called " Scotch thistle " cardiins 



