COMPOSITE 



36 



of the granitic Alps. 7/. maculata or Porcelle differs 

 from the above in that the leaves are often spotted with 

 violet, the stem is shorter, with one or more large 

 capitules ; the involucral bracts very shortly ciliate. 

 Mountain grassland. 



Hicracium 



"Eng.: Hawkweed; Fr.; Eperviere; Ger. : Habichkrant. 



This multitudinous and polymorphous family would 

 require a volume to itself for complete description and 

 even then, as perhaps might be expected, leave confusion 

 worse confounded. But a special word of warning is 

 here particularly needed, since firms of the highest repute 

 as specialists in herbaceous borders continually attempt 

 upon the strength of the peculiar coppery or sandy red 

 tones found in these plants to foist them, especially 

 aurantiacus, as desirable on the public. No more 

 dangerous weed can get into a choice border, whose 

 inmates it swamps under the close, ugly mat springing 

 from the rambling stoloniferous roots, while self-sown 

 seedlings spring up at surprising distances to make the 

 evil endemic through the whole garden. Jlurantiacus , it 

 is true, with Peletianum, pilosella and villosum, is the 

 most distinctive, but the wise will be content to use 

 them to beautify old and crumbling walls in the open 

 country. The species comprised are perennial (sadly 

 so!), generally hairy, flowers varying shades of yellow, 

 involucre of one or more ranks and imbricated. 



Ti. aurantiacum (PI. LXI1). Stoloniferous plant, 

 throwing numerous runners over the ground; leaves 

 hairy; flowers bright orange, sometimes dark saffron, 

 united into several close capitules, corymbose. July- 

 August. Cool alpine pastures ; somewhat rare. 



