COMPOSITE. 305 



rare iu Germany. Very local in Britain, having been chiefly recorded from 

 some of the eastern counties of EnE;land. Fl. summer. 



XVII. SENECZO. SENECIO. 



Herbs (or, iu some exotic species, shrubs), with alternate, toothed or di- 

 vided, rarely entire leaves. Flower-heads in terminal corymbs ; the florets 

 of the disk yeUow and tubular, those of the ray also yellow (or, in some 

 exotic sj)ecies, blue, pm-j^le, or white), spreading, or rarely wantmg. Invo- 

 lucre cylindrical or nearly hemispherical, with 1 or 2 ro^ys of linear bracts 

 of equal length, often tipped with brown, usually, but not always, accom- 

 panied by a few small outer bracts at their base. Keceptacle without 

 scales. Achenes cyhndrical, with a pappus of simple hairs, usually soft 

 and white. Branches of the style truncate at the top, usually with a tuft 

 of minute hau-s. 



This, the largest of aU Composite genera, is spread over every quarter of 

 the globe, although the majority of species occupy each a small area. Several 

 species wliieh have not the small outer bracts to the involucre, were distin- 

 guished by Linnaeus under the name of Cineraria, but the character has 

 proved so uncertain that modern botanists liave given it up. 

 Leaves cut and divided. 

 Florets of the ray oery small and rolled backj or entirely wanting. 

 Root annual. 

 Bay none. Flower-heads almost sessile, in dense corymbs or 



clusters 1. Crroundael S, 



Bay small and rolled back. Mower-heads stalked, in loose 

 corymbs. 

 Whole plant very viscid. Involucres broadly cylindrical, 

 of about 20 bracts, with 2 or 3 short outer ones. 



Achenes glabrous 3. Viscous S. 



Plant rarely viscid. Involucres narrow, of about 13 to U 

 bracts ; the outer ones scarcely perceptible. Achenes 



silky . . . ; 3. Woods. 



Florets of the ray conspicuous and spreading, 

 Koot annual. 



Achenes with short sUky hairs 4. Squalid S. 



Achenes quite glabrous 5. Water S. 



Kootstock perennial. 



Branches spreading. Corymb loose and irregular. Achenes 



aU glabrous 5. Water S. 



Stem tall and erect. Corymb rather dense, and terminal. 

 Achenes of the disk hairy. 

 Leaves irregularly pinnate, with a broad terminal lobe. 



Achenes of the ray glabrous. Eootstock not creeping 6. Eagwort S. 

 Leaves pinnate ; the lobes all narrow, Achenes all hairy. 



Eootstock shortly creeping 7. Narrow-leaved <?, 



Leaves undivided, entire or toothed. 

 Involucres with small, fine outer bracts at the base. Leaves 

 acutely toothed. 

 Leaves cottony underneath. Eay of 12 to 20 florets ... 8. Fen S. 



Leaves glabrous. Eay of 5 to S florets 9. Broad-leaved S. 



Involucres of a single row of bracts, without small outer ones. 

 Leaves entire or obtusely toothed. 

 Annual or biennial. Leaves downy. Achenes glabrous, 



strongly ribbed 10, Marsh S. 



Eootstock perennial. Leaves loosely cottony underneath. 



Achenes cottony ; the ribs scarcely prominent , , , .11. Fields. 



Several exotic species are much cultivated for ornament, especially the 

 double-flowering S. elegans from the Cape, the S. Cineraria from the shores 

 of the Mediterranean, and the numerous varieties of one or two Canary 

 Island species, known to our gardeners as greenhouse Cinerarias. 



2b3 



