Nabaltjs. composite. 415 



50. NABALUS. Cass. diet. sc. nat. 34. p. 94, <^ 69. p. 590. NABALUS. 



Species of Prenanthei, Linn. Habpalyce, Don. 



[An unmeaning name.] 



Heads 5 - 30-flowered. Involucre cylindrical, of 5 - 14 linear scales in a single series, and 

 calyculate at the base. Receptacle naked. Branches of the style much exserted. Achenia 

 cylindraceous, striate or grooved, not contracted at the apex. Pappus of numerous straw- 

 colored or brownish rough slender bristles. — Perennial herbs. Roots bitter, somewhat 

 tuberous. Stem erect, leafy. Leaves entire or lobed. Heads racemose or paniculate, 

 usually nodding. Flowers whitish, cream-color or purplish. 



1. Nab.\lus albus, Hook. LiorCs-foot. Rattlesnake-root. White Lettuce. 



Nearly smooth and somewhat glaucous ; stem corymbosely paniculate at the summit ; 

 leaves angulate-hastate, irregularly toothed, sinuate-incised, sometimes palmately or pinnately 

 3 - 5-lobed or parted, wirh mostly obtuse lobes , the lower petioled, uppermost nearly sessile ; 

 heads in short spreading racemes or panicles, somewhat corymbose ; involucre of about eight 

 scales, 8 - 12-flowered ; pappus deep cinnamon-color. — Torr. ^ Gr.fl. N. Am. 2. p. 480. 

 N. albus and serpentarius, Hook.Jl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 293 (in part). N. suavis, DC.prodr. 7. 

 p. 24.1. Prenanthes alba, Linn.; Michx.Jl. 2. p. 83; Bot. mag. t. 1079; Pursh,fl. 2. p. 499; 

 Bigel. fl. Bost. p. 286 ; Darlingt.Jl. Cest. p. 444 (partly). P. suavis, Salisb. parad. Lond. 

 t. 85. P, rubicunda, Willd. sp. 3. p. 1537. Harpalyce alba. Beck, bot. p. 167. 



var. Serpentaria : cauline leaves on slender petioles, deeply sinuate-pinnatifid or 3-parted, 

 the terminal lobe 3-cleft. Torr. 4- Gr. I. c. Prenanthes Serpentaria, Pursh, jl. 2. p. 499. 

 t. 24. P. alba, var. Serpentaria, Torr. coinpend. p. 277. Harpalyce Serpentaria, Don ; 

 Beck, I. c. 



Stem stout, 3-5 feet high, simple or much branched, usually purplish. Leaves very 

 variable in their outline and lobing, a little ciliate and rough on the- margin, pale underneath, 

 rather thin, often decurrent on the petiole. Heads numerous, nodding, 6-8 lines long. 

 Involucre commonly purplish and glaucous. Corolla white or cream-color, sometimes tinged 

 with purple. Achenia finely striate. 



Copses, borders of woods and hill-sides ; frecjuent. August - September, 



