Probably the nearest relation of the plant here photo- 

 graphed is the Common Fuller's Thistle (Circium oloraceum\ 

 abundant in moist places, both in the Alps and lowlands. It 

 is a plant that would seem to be protected by its resemblance 

 to other members of its family, for though it appears spiny, 

 it is soft and succulent, and bears not a single prickle any- 

 where. The leaves, which are sparsely distributed on the 

 slender stem, are of a dirty grey-green colour, and though as 

 tall as its spiny relative, the plant is much less robust. 



