46 STAR-THISTLE. 



received the specific name of Crocodylium, 

 because these are thought to resemble the 

 jaws of a crocodile ; ^yllile others of the species 

 bear in their names some reference to various 

 ancient weapons of warfare. 



Our Star-Tliistle, tliough a common flower 

 in many places, is not so in England. It 

 blooms during the months of July and August, 

 on gravelly, sandy, and chalky soils, and may 

 often be found among the wild flowers of the 

 cliff, by the sea, or on the green patches which 

 lie on the upper part of the beach. It is very 

 rare in Scotland, and more fre(|uent in the 

 middle and southern counties of England than 

 elsewhere. 



The Yellow Star-Thistle, called also St. 

 Barnaby's Thistle, {Centaurea sohfitialis,) is a 

 more rare kind, but grows on some fields and 

 waste places in the east and south of Eng- 

 land ; and the Jersey Star-Thistle {Centaurea 

 Isnardi) is an ornamental flower on the pas- 

 tures of the island whence it takes its name. 



