228 COMPOSITE. [Onopordon. 



Waste dry places, from Fife southd. ; Channel Islands ; (an alien or denizeD, 

 Wats.) ; fl. July-Sept. — A stout, hoary or cottony biennial, 2-5 ft. Stem 

 spinous-winged to the top. Leaves decurrent, toothed and strongly spinous. 

 Head l|-2 iu. diam.; involucre much contracted at the mouth, very cob- 

 webby ; bracts subulate, spinescent, recurved, green. Flowers pale purple. 

 Fruit J in., mottled grey ; pappus-hairs white.— Distrib. Europe, Siberia ; 

 introd. in N. America. 



30. SILYBUM, Gcertn. Milk-thistle. 



A spinous glabrous shining herb. Characters of Carduus, but filaments 

 glabrous and connate into a sheath. — Etym. aiWvfiov, a white spotted 

 thistle. 



S. Maria'num, Gcertn. ; leaves sinuate or pinnatifid, nerves white. 



"Waste places near gardens, &c, not indigenous ; fl. July-Sept. — Erect, annual 

 or biennial. Stem 1-4 ft., grooved, not winged. Leaves large, spines stout. 

 Heads globose, 1-2 in. diam. ; invol. bracts coriaceous, closely appressed, 

 very broad, each with one very stout recurved terminal subulate spine §-£ 

 in., and several shorter ones at its base, outermost merely spinous-toothed, 

 mucronate ; receptacle fleshy, hairy, not pitted. Flowers rose-purple. 

 Fruit J in., oblong, transversely wrinkled, black or grey ; pappus white. — 

 Distrib. From Holland southd., but indigenous only in the Mediter- 

 ranean region and East. — Stems formerly eaten. 



31. cichor'ium, L. Chicory. 



Perennial herbs, with spreading branches ; juice milky. Leaves radical 

 and alternate, toothed or pinnatifid. Heads axillary ; involucre cylindric ; 

 bracts in 2 series, inner erect connate at the base, outer shorter appressed ; 

 receptacle flattish, naked, pitted or bristly. Corollas all ligulate, blue or 

 yellow ; anther-cells not tailed ; upper part of style and its slender arms 

 hairy. Fruits crowded on the indurated receptacle, firmly embraced by 

 the rigid invol. bracts, smooth, obovoid or turbinate, not beaked ; pappus 

 in 1-2 series of short obtuse scales. — Distrib. Europe, W. Asia ; species 3. 

 — Etym. An old Greek name. 



Waste places, roadsides, &c, throughout England ; rare, if native, in Scotland 

 and Ireland ; Channel Islands ; fl. July-Oct. — Rather hispid. Root fleshy, 

 tapering. Stem 1-3 ft., angled and grooved ; branches straight, rigid. 

 Leaves glandular-ciliate, oblong-lanceolate, upper ovate-cordate amplexicaul. 

 Heads many, 1-1J in. diam.; peduncle thickened in the middle; invol. 

 bracts herbaceous, outer linear-lanceolate gland-ciliate. Flowers bright 

 blue, rarely white ; ligule rather broad, truncate, 5-toothed. Fruit angled, 

 pale, mottled. — Distrib. Europe, N. Africa, Siberia, N.W. India ; introd. 

 in N. America. — The origin of the cultivated Chicory ; the roots are boiled 

 and eaten, or dried and used as Coffee. 



