806 TBE COMPOSITE FAMILY. 



1. Groundsel Senecio. Senecio vulgaris, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 747. Groundsel.) 



An erect, branching annual, from 6 inches to near a foot high, glabrous 

 or bearing a little loose, cottony wool. Leaves pinnatifid, with ovate, toothed 

 .or jagged lobes. Flower-heads in close terminal corymbs or clusters. In- 

 Tolucres cylindrical, of about 20 equal bracts, with several outer smaller 

 ones. Florets almost always all tubular, without any ray whatever. Achenes 

 shghtly hairy. 



A very common weed of cultivation throughout Europe and Eussian 

 Asia, but not extending into the tropics, and less disposed than many others 

 to migrate with man. Abundant in Britain. Fl. all the year round. 



2. Viscous Senecio. Senecio viscosus, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 32, the ray rather too large, and S. lividus, Eng. Bot. 



t. 2515 ?) 



A coarser, harder, and taUer annual than the Groundsel S. and covered 

 all over with a short, viscous, strong-smelling down, the leaves more deeply 

 divided, with narrower, more jagged lobes, the flower-heads rather thicker, 

 with more floi-ets, and on longer pedmicles, forming a loose, terminal 

 eoiymb. Outer scales of the involucre usually but 2 or 3, and nearly half 

 as long as the inner ones, of which there are about 20. Outer florets hgu- 

 late, but small, and rolled back so as at first sight to escape observation. 

 Achenes glabrous. 



In waste places, over a great part of Em-ope, but not common, and does 

 not extend so far eastward or northward as the Groundsel S. Scattered 

 over various parts of England and southern Scotland, but very local, and 

 seldom abundant. Fl. summer and autumn, 



3. ViTood Senecio. Senecio sylvaticus, Linn. 



(Eng. Bot. t. 748.) 



An annual, with the foliage much like that of the Groundsel S., but a taller 

 and weaker plant, sometimes near 2 feet long, slightly downy, or nearly 

 glabrous, not so viscid nor so strong-smelling as the viscous S. Flower- 

 heads rather numerous, in a loose corymb, the involucres cyhndrical, of 

 from 12 to 15 equal bracts, with the outer ones very minute or wanting. 

 Outer florets ligulate, but small and rolled back as in the viscous S. 

 Achenes covered vrith minute, appressed hau*s. 



On banks, waste places, and borders of woods, in temperate and southern 

 Europe, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. Found occasionally in 

 most parts of Britain, but not generally common. Fl. summer and autumn. 



4. Squalid Senecio. Senecio squalidus, Linn. 



(Eng. Bot. t. 600.) 



An annual or biennial, or even sometimes forming a stock of two or three j 

 vears' duration, wth the stature of the Groundsel S., but quite glabrous. 

 Leaves pinnatifid, with narrow, deeply cut, or jagged lobes. Flower-headsJ 

 rather large, in a loose corymb, with a bright-yellow, spreading ray, as| 

 conspicuous as in the Ragwort S. Achenes sUky-hairy. 



A south European species, said to be quite established on walls at Oxford, 

 and in a few other localities in southern England, but evidently not indi- 

 genous. Fl. summer and autumn. 



