Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 393 



STAR THISTLE (Centaurea nigra, var. radiata). 



This is a slender-stemmed plant with a small, this- 

 tle-like head but with none of the other characteris- 

 tics of the true thistles. 



The slender stem branches slightly and rises to 

 heights of 1 to 2 feet, each branch bearing a solitary 

 flower head at the end. The flower head has a round 

 involucre of tawny, or dark brown, dry bracts; the 

 florets are all tubular and rose-purple, the outer ones 

 being rather larger and spreading horizontally. 

 The whole head has a loose tousled appearance. 

 Rather small, oblanceolate leaves alternate along the 

 stem, from the base to the flower heads. 



This species, which is introduced from Europe, 

 grows in waste places and along roadsides from N. 

 S. to Ontario and south to N. J. and Pa. It may be 

 found in bloom from July until Sept. 



CHICORY; SUCCORY (Cichorium intybus) (EURO- 

 PEAN) has become thoroughly naturalized and is 

 common in the eastern half of the United States, es- 

 pecially so near the coast. It is a perennial so there 

 is little danger of its losing ground in any locality in 

 which it becomes established. 



The stem is stiff, tough and angular in cross-sec- 

 tion; it attains heights of from 1 to 3 feet. It is of- 

 ten quite branching but the branches spring out 

 abruptly so that the effect is not very graceful. The 

 leaves are long-lanceolate, dark gray-green and 

 coarsely toothed. The flowers are very beautiful, a 

 violet-blue, approaching a pure blue in color. There 

 are at least two ranks of strap-shaped rays, the inner 

 ones much shorter, all toothed at the ends. Suc- 

 cory blooms in dry situations from July until Oct. 



