1C4 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



probably ought to be considered as belonging to a distinct genus, 

 intermediate between the two. 



Marsh HawJc^ s-heard. 



GENUS XLI.—E. lERACIUM. Linn. 



Anthodes many-flowered. Pericline oblong-OToid, of numerous 

 phyllaries, regularly imbricated in several series, or in 2 series 

 with the outer ones much shorter. Clinanth naked, with the 

 margins of the pits commonly bordered with fimbriated mem- 

 brane. Achenes cylindrical - prismatic, attenuated towards the 

 base, truncate at the apex, never beaked, nor terminated by a 

 cup-like disk. Pappus of dirty-white setaceous simple hairs.* 



Herbs, with various habit and rather large anthodes. Florets 

 ■yellow, rarely orange-red. 



The name of this gsnus of plants comes from upni {hierax), a hawk, because, accord- 

 ing to Pliny and other old writers, that bird " was wont to quicken his sight" with the 

 juice of the species ; or, Dr. Withering suggests that it may have arisen from the mix- 

 ture of black and yellow in some species resembling the colour of a hawk's eye ; hence 

 possibly the ancient curative inference — an approach to the modern doctrine of 

 •' similia similibus curantur." 



Section I.— PILOSELLOIDEA. 



Stoloniferous. Stem scape-like, often leafless, or with a single 

 leaf. Phyllaries irregularly imbricated. Elorets glabrous at the 

 tips. Achenes minute, crenulated at the top. Pappus of a single 

 row of equal very slender hairs. 



* In this difEciilt genus I have followed almost implicitly the views of Mr. James 

 Backhouse, jun., as set forth iu his monograph of British Hieracia. He has paid most 

 careful attention to the species of this genus both in the wild and cultivated states, so 

 that it is only on very clear evidence that I have ventured to deviate from the limits 

 he has assigned to the specific forms. His opinions I deduce not only from his pub- 

 lished work, but from the large collections of Hieracia belonging to Mr. Hewett 

 C. Watson and myself, which have been examined and named by him. Many of 

 Mr. Backhouse's species are no doubt merely subspecies ; but I do not feel that I have 

 that intimate knowledge of the limits of variation of these sub-species which is required 

 to enable me to combine them into super-species. The six species (as H. cerinthoides 

 must be expnnged) of Mr. Bentham are certainly far below the number of ver-species 

 and super-species which occur in Britain ; but how many there are of the.se we require 

 more careful examination to decide. 1 do not ventui'e to quote continental authorities, 

 as in many cases they do not divide the species in the same way as !Mr. Backhouse. 



