COMPOSITE. 117 



form and obliquely truncate at the summit, or more rarely ter- 

 miuated by a short ligulate limb. Style with semi - cylindrical 

 thick obtuse branches, stigmatiferous all over. Achcnes fusiform, 

 cylindrical, crowned with a hairy pappus, longer and of more 

 numerous hairs in the female florets. 



Perennial herbs, with cordate radical leaves and scapes with 

 scaly bracts or small alternate leaves, terminated by a corymb 

 raceme or thyrsus of anthodes of white or pale-purple florets, 

 appearing with or before the leaves. 



The uaue of this genus comes from Trtrafroc (petasos), a cover, which the leavps 

 afford. 



Section I.— NARDOSMIA. Cass. 

 Corolla of the female florets terminated by a short ligule. 



SPECIES I— P ETASITES PRAGRANS. Presl. 



Plate DCCLXXXI. 



Reick. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. XVI. Tab. DCCCXCVI. 



Nardosmia fragraus, Eeidi,. Fl. Exciirs. p. 280. B. C. Prod. Vol. V. p. 205. 



Tussilago fragrans, Vill. 



Leaves evergreen, round, deeply cordate, with the lobes sub- 

 parallel, finely or evenly denticulate ; at first arachnoid-floccose, 

 at length glabrous above, — pale-green, sparingly downy and with 

 articulated hairs beneath. Florets in a roundish-ovoid or oblong- 

 ovoid racemose panicle, scarcely elongating after flowering. Phyl- 

 laries acute. Corolla of the female florets filiform, terminated by 

 a distinct though short ligule. Branches of the stigma in the sub- 

 male florets rather short, sub-cylindrical, acute. 



Roadsides and plantations. Completely naturalized in many 

 places, as in the Isle of "Wight, Upper Deal (Kent), Surrey, Mid- 

 dlesex, banks of the Esk above Musselburgh, &c. 



[England, Scotland.] Perennial. Winter and early Spring. 



Rootstock extensively creeping. Leaves appearing in spring, 

 and in favourable situations remaining green until the young leaves 

 appear in the succeeding season, -i to 8 inches across, with a very 

 deep sinus ; the lobes sub-parallel at the base, and then diverging 

 (a small portion of the base of the lobe is bounded by the lateral 

 veins, but not so large a part as in P. vulgaris). Scapes 4 to 9 inches 

 high, with scale-like empty bracts, tlie lower ones often terminated 

 by a small lamina. Anthodes very sliortly stalked. Pericline alwut 

 2 inch long. Corolla pale-lilac. Anthers purple. Style-branches 



