344 SYNGENESIA— POLYGAMIA-.EQU. Lactuca. 



Andryala major. Dalech. Hist. 563./. 



Broad Sow-thistle. Petiv. H. Brit. t. 1 4-/. 2. ■ 



Prickle-dented Sow-thistle. Petiv. H. Brit. <, 1 4. /. 4 j copied from 



Dod. Pempt. 643. /. 3. 

 f. Sonchus subrotundo folio nostras, levissimis »pinulis circa to- 



liorum oras exasperatus. Pluk. ^lmag.3^4. Phyf. t. 6\.f. o. 



Dill, in Raii Syn. 163. 

 Round-leaved Sow-thistle. Petiv. H. Brit. f. 14./. 1 . 



^. Sonchus a.(pv\\OKXvXos, angusto et oblongo folio nostras, per 

 foliorum ambitum creberrimis spinulis asperatus. Pluk. Almag, 

 354. Phyt. t. 62. f. 4. Dill, in 'Raii Syn. 1 63. 



Narrow Sow-thistle. Petiv. H. Brit. t. 14. f. 3. 



In cultivated and waste ground every where. 



Annual. July — September. 



Root tapering, milky and bitter like the whole herb, which as- 

 sumes a number of diflFerent but evanescent forms, insomuch 

 that the several varieties, depending on richness or poverty of 

 soil, can hardly be traced with any certainly. Ray doubted 

 whether any of them were species or not. Hill persuaded Hal- 

 ler that the prickly varieties constituted a distinct species from 

 the smooth ones ; but this opinion is not confirmed by obser- 

 vation or experience. The stem in all, except very poor spe- 

 cimens, is branched, erect, round, smooth, hollow, leafy, very 

 brittle. Leaves smooth on both sides, variously pinnatifid, or 

 runcinate, toothed, sometimes very prickly at the edges, the 

 terminal lobe generally large and triangular j in s and g", starved 

 varieties, they are undivided. Flower-stalks cymose, axillary 

 and terminal, clothed, more especially near the flowers, with a 

 peculiarly soft, white, cottony web, which after a while falls off, 

 leaving them smooth and naked. Bracteas few, lanceolate, partly 

 toothed. Cal. smooth, glaucous. Cor. pale yellow, closing at 

 night, and in bad weather ; reported to be sometimes white, 

 but this I have never seen. Seeds angular, furrowed and finely 

 notched. Down copious, smooth, very white and silky. 



Dr. Withering mentions a maritime variety without a stem, found 

 on Portland island. 



Hares and rabbits are very fond of this herb. 



373. LACTUCA. Lettuce. 



Linn. Gen. 400. Jwss. 169. FLBr.8l9. Tourn.t.267. Lam. 

 t. 649. Gcertn. t.\5%. 



Common Cal. cylindrical, of numerous, pointed, imbricated, 

 unequal, flat scales, membranous at the margin. Cor. 

 compound, imbricated, uniform ; Jlorets numerous, per- 

 fect, equal, ligulate, abrupt, with ^ or .5 teeth. Filavi. 

 capillary. A7ith. in a cylindrical tube. Germ, obovate- 

 oblong. Style thread-shaped, longer than the stamens. 



