312 



CICHORIACEAE. 



VOL. III. 



. MALACOTHRIX DC. Prodr. 7: 192. 1838. 



er crennial, branching or scapose herbs, with alternate or basal, mostly pinnatifid 



, e xong-peduncled panicled or solitary heads of yellow or rarely white flowers. 



5 ir '.~_re campanulate, its principal bracts in i or 2 series, equal or nearly so, with several 

 series of shorter exterior ones. Receptacle flat, naked or bristly. Rays truncate and S-toothed 

 at the apex. Anthers sagittate at the base. Style-branches slender. Achenes oblong or 

 linear, glabrous, io-15-ribbed, 4 or 5 of the ribs usually more prominent than the others, 

 truncate, or margined and 4-5-toothed at the summit. Pappus-bristles in 2 series, the inner 

 naked or minutely serrulate, slender, coherent at the base and deciduous in a ring, the outer 

 few (1-8), more persistent, or all deciduous in our species. [Greek, soft-hair, in allusion to 

 the soft pappus.] 



About 15 species, natives of the western and southwestern United States and lower California. 

 Type species : Malacothrix californica DC. 



i. Malacothrix sonchoides (Nutt.) T. & G. 

 Malacothrix. Fig. 4060. 



Leptoseris sonchoides Nutt. Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. (II.) 7 : 

 439- 1841. 



Malacothrix sonchoides T. & G. Fl. N. A. 2 : 486. 1843. 



Annual, glabrous throughout, or slightly glandular; 

 stem branched, 6'-i2' high. Leaves somewhat fleshy, 

 oblong or linear-oblong in outline, pinnatifid and the 

 lobes dentate with mucronate-pointed teeth, the basal 

 ones ii'-3' long, narrowed into short broad petioles, 

 those of the stem smaller, sessile; heads several or 

 numerous, 8"-i3" broad ; principal bracts of the invo- 

 lucre linear, acute, scarious-margined, the outer short, 

 oblong, obtuse, or acutish ; achenes linear-oblong, 

 margined at the summit by a 15-denticulate white 

 border; pappus-bristles all deciduous. 



On dry plains, western Nebraska and Kansas to Cali- 

 fornia and Arizona. May-Aug. 



14. CHONDRILLA [Tourn.] L. Sp. PI. 796. 1753. 



Perennial herbs, with stiff divaricately branched stems, the basal leaves large and mostly 

 pinnatifid, those of the stem small, narrow, alternate, and few middle sized heads of yellow 

 flowers mostly solitary at the ends of the branches. Involucre cylindric, several-flowered, 

 its inner bracts in i or 2 series, nearly equal, with several series of small or minute outer 

 ones. Receptacle flat, naked. Rays truncate and 5-toothed at the summit. Anthers sagittate 

 at the base. Style-branches slender. Achenes oblong or linear, 4-5-angled, many-ribbed, 

 more or less spiny near the summit, abruptly contracted into a beak. Pappus of copious 

 soft white simple bristles. [Greek, lump, from the gummy matter borne on the stems of 

 some species.] 



About 1 8 species, natives of the Old- World, the fol- 

 lowing typical. 



i. Chondrilla juncea L. Gum Succory. 

 Fig. 4061. 



Chondrilla juncea L. Sp. PI. 796. 1753. 



Stem rush-like, hirsute at the base, glabrous above, 

 much branched, i-3 high. Basal leaves runcinate- 

 pinnatifid, those of the stem linear or linear-lanceolate, 

 acute, dentate or entire, sessile, i'-ii' long, \"-i\" 

 wide; heads terminal and lateral on the branches, 

 short-peduncled or sessile, 4"-6" broad ; involucre 

 glabrous or nearly so, about 4" high, its inner bracts 

 narrowly linear ; achenes muricate and spiny near 

 the summit, slightly shorter than the filiform beak. 



In dry fields and waste places, Delaware to Maryland 

 and Virginia. Naturalized from Europe. July-Aug. 

 Naked-weed. Skeleton-weed. Devil's-grass. Hog-bite. 



