PURPLE STAR-THISTLE 



the Composites. Moreover, every one of its florets is 



filled with nectar and invites the entire winged world 



beetles, bees, flies, butterflies,— all welcome and all fed, 

 so that by their eagerness, every stigma gets its share of 

 pollen. The mature seeds borne on silvery wings ride 

 the wind in pursuit 

 of a home. 



There is, how- 

 ever, one point in 

 favor of the farmer, 

 the plant is dioe- 

 cious and it often 

 happens that many 

 florets fail of ferti- 

 lization, so that the 

 amount of seed pro- 

 duced is often more 

 apparent than real. 



PURPLE STAR- 

 THISTLE 



Centaurea calcitrapa 



Annual. Natural- 

 ized from Europe. 

 In waste places, and 

 in ballast. A bushy 

 herb with rough, 

 rigid stems and bear- 

 ing rose-purple composite flowers. Massachusetts to New 

 York, New Jersey, and Virginia. June-October. 



Stems. — Rough, rigid, branching. 



Leaves. — Alternate, deeply cut into oblong, lanceolate, 

 or linear segments, often irregular; the lower and basal 



259 



Purple Star-Thistle. Centauria calcitrapa 



