460 



SUBDIVISIONS OP COMPOSITE TRIBE. 



divisions, as these may be recognised by examining the com- 

 monest British species, as readily as may the characters of the 

 order itself. Such florets as exist in the ray of the Daisy, Mari- 

 gold, &c., are technically called ligulate or strap-shaped, from 

 their flattened as- 

 pect. Now in the 

 Dandelion it will be 

 found that both the 

 ray and the disk are 

 composed of ligulate 

 flowers, to the en- 

 tire exclusion of the 



tubular Ones ; Such FIG. 168. COMPOSITE FLOWERS ; A, CORYMBIFSIUE ; 



B, ClCHORACE.E. 



plants are ranked 



in a group named Cichoracece, from the common Cichory or 



Succory, with which 

 they all agree in 

 possessing a milky 

 juice ; and this, 

 when concentrated, 

 is found to have 

 narcotic properties. 

 This group contains 

 a large number of 

 our wild flowers. 

 From these will easily be distinguished the group of Cinaroce- 

 phalce or Thistle-headed plants, which have, like the Thistle, 

 a head of flowers, composed entirely of tubular florets, and 

 of an almost hemispherical form ; these are further distin- 

 guished, for the most part at least, by their hard and spiny 

 leaves. To this section belongs the Artichoke, which is cultivated 

 for the table, on account of the fleshiness of the scales or bracts, 

 which form the involucrum ; -the fleshy bottom of these is the 

 receptacle ; and the choke, which is thrown away, is a collection 

 of florets, separated from each other by numerous stiff hairs. 

 The third section includes those Composite plants, which contain 

 both sorts of florets, ligulate ones in the ray, and tubuiar ones 



FIG. 169. COMPOSITE FLOWERS ; A, CORYMBIFKRJE ; 



B, ClNAROCKPHALJE. 



