TEASEL FAMILY. 219 



oblong leaves either entire or cut-lobed towards the base, and small 

 flowers in clusters or close cymes, with leafy bracts, and a short white 

 or whitish corolla, in early summer. (D (2) 



V. olitdria, Poll. CORN SALAD. Corolla bluish ; fruit broader than 

 long, and a thick corky mass at the back of the fertile cell. Eu.; cult, 

 and sparingly naturalized. 



V. chenopodif61ia, DC. Corolla whitish ; fruit ovate-triangular, 

 mostly smooth, shaped like a grain of buckwheat when dry, the confluent 

 empty cells occupying one angle, and much smaller than the broad and 

 flat seed. N. Y., W. and S. 



V. rad&ta, Dufr. Corolla whitish; fruit mostly downy and some- 

 what 4-angled, the parallel, narrow, empty cells contiguous, but with a 

 broad, shallow groove between them. Penn. and Mich. S. 



IX. DIPSACEJ1, TEASEL FAMILY. 



Differs from the preceding family by having the flowers 

 strictly in heads, surrounded by an involucre, as in the next 

 family, from which it differs in the separate stamens, hang- 

 ing seed, etc. All are natives of the Old World. 



1. DIPSACUS. Coarse and stout herbs, with stems and midrib of leaves often prickly, 



and the heads with rigid prickly-pointed bracts or chaff under each flower, under the 

 whole a conspicuous leafy involucre. Each flower has an involucel in the form of a 

 little calyx-like body inclosing the ovary and akene. Calyx continued beyond the 

 ovary into a mere truncate, short cup-like, border. Corolla slender, with 4 short 

 lobes. Stamens 4. Style slender. 



2. SCABIOSA. Less coarse, not prickly ; the short heads surrounded by a softer green 



involucre ; a short scale or soft bristle for a bract under each flower. Corolla funnel- 

 form, 4-5-cleft, oblique or irregular ; the outer ones often enlarged. Stamens 4. 

 Style slender. Involucel inclosing the ovary and the calyx various. 



1. DIPSACUS, TEASEL. (Greek: to thirst; the united bases of the 

 leaves in some species catch rain water.) Flowers summer. 



D. sylvestris, Mill. Stem 4-5 high, prickly, with lance- oblong leaves, 

 the upper ones united round the stem ; heads large, oblong ; corollas pur- 

 plish or lilac ; slender-pointed, straight chaff under each flower. (2) 

 Along roads. 



D. Fullbnum, Linn. PULLER'S T. Less prickly than the other, with 

 involucre hardly longer than the flowers, the awn-like tips of the rigid 

 chaff hooked at the end, which makes the teasel useful for carding 

 woollen cloth ; cultivated in central N. Y. for this purpose, sometimes 

 escaping into waste places and roadsides. (2) 



2. SCABIOSA, SCABIOUS. (Latin name.) Flowers summer. One 

 European species is commonly cultivated for ornament, 



S. atropurpurea, Linn. SWEET S. Or when with dark purple or crimson 

 flowers, called MOURNING BRIDE ; the flowers are sometimes rose-colored 

 or even white ; plant l-2 high, with obovate or spatulate and toothed 

 root leaves, pinnately-parted stem leaves, the cup or involucel inclosing 

 the ovary 8-grooved, calyx proper with 5 long bristles surmounting the 

 akene : outer corollas enlarged, (j) 



