THE CORN SOW-THISTLE. 114 



The Corn Sow-thistle (Sonchus arvensis). 



We were nearly remarking that the Sow-thistle is one of the 

 most beautiful of our native flowers, but remembering that we 

 have already applied that observation to several species, we 

 will alter the formula and say it is among the most handsome. 

 Certainly no one who sees it growing is likely to pass it by 

 without plucking some of the flowers, though they will be dis- 

 appointed in these flagging and losing their beauty before home 

 is reached. We have three native species, of which this is 

 undoubtedly the finest, the stem growing to a height of three 

 or four (or, as we have found it in Surrey, over five) feet. It 

 is a perennial, with a large creeping rootstock, which sends off 

 runners. The stem is hollow, milky, and clasped by the bases 

 of the finely cut leaves. These are deeply lobed, and edged 

 with sharp teeth ; the lower leaves have stalks, the upper 

 have not. The unopened involucre for this again is a Com- 

 positewill strike the finder as being singularly square ; it is 

 covered all over as are the stems also with short hairs with 

 glandular tops of a golden yellow. The expanded flower-head 

 is about two inches across, and is composed entirely of ray- 

 florets. The plant will be found flowering in or around culti- 

 vated fields in August and September. The other British 

 species are : 



I. Marsh Sow-thistle (S. palustris), now all but extinct, and found only rarely 

 in the Eastern counties of England and Kent. It is taller-growing than arvensis, 

 the stem sometimes reaching nine feet, but the flowers are only half the size of that 

 species. 



II, Common Sow-thistle (S. oleraceus). A common annual in every field and 

 waste. General character of plant very similar to arvensis, but smaller. Stem, 

 two to three feet in height, without (or rarely with) the glandular hairs. Flower- 

 heads many, not exceeding an inch in diameter. June to September. 



Name supposed to be derived from the Greek, sonthos, hollow, in reference to the 

 fistular stems. 



