COMPOSITE FAMILY. Composite. 



•very yellow-spiny ; the flower-heads set in the smaller 

 encircling upper leaflets, with very narrosv, rough, spine- 

 less scales. 2-4 feet high. Common in wet or dry sandy 

 soil along the seacoast, from Me. to Tex. 



A rather common species with magenta 

 C^rshunluis- (rarely white) flowers about U inches 

 simum, var. broad and weak -bristled, rough-hairj', 

 discolor stemless leaves, deeply cut into linear 



Magenta j^i^^g white-woolly beneath. The outer 



" ^~ scales of the flower-heads are slightly 



woolly and weak-bristled. Stem downy, 3-6 feet high. 

 Common on roadsides and in flelds ; south to Ga. 



A species with similar leaves and flow- 

 Th'^tle ^^^- ^^^^ *^^® blunt, prickleless scales of the 



Cirsium heads glutinous, woolly, and close-press- 



muticum ing. The flower with a naked stem, or 



Magenta ^^^j-^ ^ few tiny leaflets at its base. 3-8 



u y- c o er ^^^^ high. Common in swamps and moist 

 low woodlands everywhere. 



The largest-flowered thistle of all, with 



asture solitarv heads 2-3 inches broad, the florets 



Thistle T , '^ T, , , . 



Cirshim light magenta-lilac or nearly white ; they 



pumilum are exceedingly fragrant, rich in honey, 



Light magenta and are frequented by the bumblebee, who 



" ^~ , imbibes to the point of abiect intoxica- 



September , mi i- , i i • 



tion ! Ihe slightly glutinous scales are 



nearly smooth and tipped with slender prickles ; and at 

 the base are tiny leaflets. The light green leaves nar- 

 row and frequently cut into three-prickled lobes, the 

 prickles shorter than those of the common thistle and 

 very numerous. Stem only 12-30 inches high. In dry 

 pastures and fields, Me. to Del. and Pa., near the coast. 

 A pernicious weed, naturalized from 

 *"f * '* ^ Europe, with small lilac, pale magenta, or 

 arvense rarely white heads about | inch broad. 



Lilac or pale The dull gra%--green, whitish-ribbed leaves 

 magenta are deeply slashed into many veiy prickly, 



" ^^ ^ ruflied lobes. Flowers staminate and pis- 



September • , 1 , 



tillate; also fragrant. 1-3 feet high. 



Common in pastures, fields, and on roadsides ; south 



only to Va. 



522 



