rMBELLIFEE^. 239 



III. ASTRANTIA. ASTEANTIA. 



Herbs, with a perennial rootstock, and palmately divided leaves, mostly 

 radical. Umbels compact, irregularly compound, with general and partial in- 

 volucres of several coloured bracts. Flowers often unisexual. Fruit ovoid or 

 oblong, somewhat compressed laterally, crowned by the long pointed teeth 

 of the calyx. Carpels with 5 plaited or crimped ribs, and without vittas. 



A small genus, extending over central and southern Europe to the Cau- 

 casus. The foliage and iuvolucels, as well as the fruit, mark it out as a very 

 distinct group in the family. 



1. Xiarger Astrantia. Astrantia major, Linn. 



Radical leaves like those of the Sanicle, but larger, with more pointed 

 lobes. Stems 2 feet high or more, erect, with 1 or 2 leaves, smaller, and on 

 shorter stalks than the radical ones. General umbel very irregular, of 3 to 

 5 unequal rays, the involucre of as many coloured and lobed or toothed 

 bracts, with occasionally a bract or two below the middle of each ray. 

 Partial umbels with an iavolucel of 15 to 20 lanceolate pointed bracts, 

 quite entire, as long or longer than the flowers, either white or tinged with 

 pink. Flowers small, mostly unisexual, the calyx-border campanulate, with 

 5 teeth about the length of the petals. 



In woods and pastures, in central and southern Europe, not nearer to 

 Britain than central France. Occurs apparently wild in Stokesay Wood, near 

 Ludlow, and between Whitbourne and Malvern in Herefordsliire ; probably 

 originally escaped from some old cottage-garden. Fl. summer. 



IV. ERVNGO. ERYNGIUM. 



Stifif, hard herbs, usually perennial, and with very prickly leaves and invo- 

 lucres. Flowers in a compact spike or head, with a scale or bract on the 

 common receptacle under each flower. Petals erect, with a long inflected 

 point. Fruit ovoid, without vittas, crowned by the pointed or prickly teeth 

 of the calyx. 



A rather numerous and very natural genus, spread over the greater part 

 of the temperate and warm regions of the globe. In many species the whole 

 of the upper part of the plant as well as the flowers acquire a bluish or white 

 tint, on wliich account several exotic species have been frequently cultivated 

 in our gardens. 



Radical leaves rounded, the lobes plaited and toothed. Scales of the recep- 

 tacle 3-lobed 1 ggii £_ 



Leaves pinnately divided, the lobes pinnatifid and toothed. Scales of the 



receptacle entire 2_ FieldE. 



1. Sea Eryng'o. Eryngium maritimum, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 718. Sea Holly.) 

 A stiff, erect, much branched plant, nearly a foot high, quite glabrous, 

 and glaucous or bluish. Leaves very stiff, broad, and sinuate, more or less 

 divided into 3 broad, short lobes, elegantly veined and bordered by coarse, 

 prickly teeth ; tlie radical ones stalked ; the others clasping the stem by their 

 broad bases. Heads of flowers nearly globular, of a pale blue, with an invo- 

 lucre of 5 to 8 leaves, like those of the stem, but much smaller and narrower, 

 the bracts within the head divided into 3 prickles. 



