COMPOSITiB. 301 



long terminal panicle, each head containing 12 to 20 complete florets and a 

 few female ones, aU fertile. 



On roadsides and waste places, either indigenous or introduced, over n'early 

 the whole area of the genus. Common in Britain. Fl. end of summer, and 

 autumn. The A. cai-nlescens (Eng. Bot. t. 2426) is a garden variety of this 

 plant. 



4. 'VITorm'wood Artemisia. Artemisia Absinthium, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 1230. Wormwood or Absinth.) 



Stock short, but branched and leafy, sometimes ahnost woody ; the 

 flowering stems erect and hard but annual, 1 to 2 feet high ; the whole plant 

 of a greyish white, with a very close almost silky down. Leaves almost or- 

 bicular in then' general outline, but much cut into oblong, linear, obtuse 

 lobes. Flower-heads numerous, drooping, nearly hemispherical, and larger 

 than in the other British species ; the outer bracts narrow-linear, the inner 

 ones very broad. Central florets numerous and mostly fertile ; the outer 

 female ones small and often barren. 



On roadsides and waste places, over the greater part of Europe and Rus- 

 sian Asia, but in many cases introduced only, having been formerly much 

 cultivated for its bitter qualities. In Britain, it appears truly indigenous 

 near the sea in many parts of England and southern Scotland ; in the inte- 

 rior it is confLaed to the neighbourhood of villages and habitations. Fl. 

 autumn. 



XVI. CtTD-WEED. GNAPHALIUM. 



Herbs, more or less covered with a grey or white, cottony wool ; the leaves 

 nari:ow and entire. Flower-heads smaU, sessile, often clustered, rarely 

 forming terminal corymbs. Involucral bracts imbricated, cottony outside, 

 and more or less di-y, scarious, and often coloured at the tips. Keceptacle 

 small, without scales. Florets of the centre tubular, but often barren ; 

 those of the circumference filiform and female, or the two kinds separated 

 in different heads. Anthers with minute bristles or hair-like points at their 

 base. Style of Senecio. Achenes with a pappus of simple hairs. 



If taken in its integrity, this genus is one of the most extensive among 

 Comjyosites, and the widest-diffused over the globe. It has been, however, 

 subdivided into a very large number of small genera upon mmute characters, 

 the natural value of which is scarcely yet satisfactorily established. The 

 most marked of them applicable to the British species, and which may be 

 considered at any rate as sections, are the following : — 1. Anteknaeia ; 

 flower-heads dioecious, comprising the dioecious C. and the 'pearl C. 2. Me- 

 EOPE ; hairs of the pappus combined in a ring at the base ; the uwod C. and 

 the dwarf C. 3. Filago ; receptacle bearing a row of scales between the 

 outer and the next row of florets ; the common C, narrotv C, and least C. 

 Leaving m 4, G-naphalium, the somewhat dissimUw Jersey C. and 

 marsh C. 



Most of the Composite F!verlastings of our gardens belong to the allied 

 genus Helichrysum, of which no species are Bi'itish. 



Inner bracts of the involucre pure-white at the tips, riower-heads 

 almost dicecious, in terminal corymbs. 



Low plant, with 3 to 6 heads in the corymb 1. Mountain C. 



Tail plant, with a large corymb of numerous heads 2. Fearl C. 



2 D 



