COMPOSITE FAMILY 



Flower-heads. — Ligulate-composite, pale yellow, a quar- 

 ter of an inch across, in an open panicle. Florets ten to 

 twenty. Involucre cylindric, outer bracts shorter than 

 inner; rays yellow; akenes oblong; pappus white, fine 

 and soft. 



A noxious weed often growing in the very dust of 

 the roadside, of wide range due largely to the agency 

 of impure seed grain. It flourishes in all soils and 

 invades all crops. The plant may be easily identified 

 by the white midrib of its leaves. At first it is a rosette 

 of leaves, then a pale green, shapely, leafy stalk, then 

 a blossoming candelabra of yellow florets or of fluffy 

 pompons, finally a scraggly, dishevelled, dusty, up- 

 right stalk; its work done and only its skeleton linger- 

 ing superfluous on the scene. 



The success of this weed depends very largely upon 

 its ability to live in dry situations and withstand the 

 long droughts of summer. The leaves are arranged 

 alternately upon the stem and can stand out hori- 

 zontal to the stem or at a slight angle, but during 

 the hot, dry days of summer standing in the open they 

 exhibit a tendency toward what is known as polarity, 

 that is, they turn and twist so as to show their edges 

 and not their full surface to the sun, which relieves 

 the plant from the effects of the sun's direct rays. It 

 is said that our garden Lettuce when permitted to go 

 to seed exhibits something of the same tendency. 



The plant is protected against grazing animals 

 by a row of prickles on the lower side of the midrib, 

 there are also prickles on the stem, and the leaves 

 are toothed at their points and bristling along their 

 edges. 



Anna B. Comstock writes most interestingly about 

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