SYNGENESIA— POLYGAMIA-^QU. Cnicus. 393 



above ; snow-*white and densely cottony beneath ; heart-shajjed 

 and clasping at the base ; the lowermost tapering down into a 



footstalk; some of the leaves are deeply and regularly pinna- 

 tifid occasionally, to which the specific name alludes, but which 

 none of the figures, except Dr. Hooker's, express. FL stalked, 

 terminal, erect when expanded, large and handsome, of a fine 

 purple. Cat. ovate, green, slightly downy ; scales leafy, smooth 

 except at the edges, most of them tipped with a very decided, 



. though small, prickle. Down of the marginal seeds rough only j 

 that of the rest feathery, partly simple at the point, as in seve- 

 ral other species, but this is not universal in any. 

 The colouring of the whole plant, correctly expressed in Engl. Bot., 

 is peculiarly elegant. Carduus helenioides of Linnaeus, likewise 

 a Cnicus, to which Hudson and his followers referred this species, 

 is very distinct, twice or thrice as tall, with numerous, always 

 imdivided leaves, and several aggregate, sessile, much smaller 



flowers. It is not known, either wild or cultivated, in Britain. 



8. C prate?isis. Meadow Plume-thistle. 



Leaves lanceolate, wavy or lobed, fringed with prickles ; 

 loosely cottony beneath. Stem downy, slightly leafy, 

 single-flowered. Calyx cottony, with tapering sharp 

 scales. 



C. pratensis. Willd. Sp. PL v. 3. 1 6/2. Comp. ed. 4. 134. Hook. 



Scot. 237. 

 Carduus pratensis. Huds.SHS; excl. Jacq. syn. Fl. Br. 854. Engl. 



Bot. V. 3. t. 177. Dicks. H. Sicc.fasc. 18. 21. 

 C. dissectus. Huds. ed. 1 . 307. Villars Daupli. Z5. 3. 1 5 j not of Linn. 

 C. heterophyljus. Liglitf.4bG. 

 Cirsium anglicum. Raii Sijn.lQZ. Lob. Ic 583. f Obs. 314. f. 



Dalech. Hist. 584. f Ger. Em. \\83.f. Label. 

 C. anglicum, radice Hellebori nigri niodo fibrosa, folio longo. Buuh. 



Hist. v.3.p. ].45.f 

 C. montanum anglicum. Ger. Em. 1 183./. 5. 

 C. pannonicum primum pratense. Clus. Pann. 655. f. 656. Hist. 



V.2. 148./. 

 Peckham Thistle. Petiv. H. Brit. t. 22. f. 1 . 

 ^. Carduus palustris mitior, Bardanae capitulo, summo caule sin- 



gulari. Pluk. Almag. 82. Dill, in Ruii Sijn. 194. 



In low wet pastures and meadows, especially among trees. 



Perennial. June. 



Root of several simple, fleshy, black fibres, not creeping. Herb- 

 age greyish green, more or less cottony. Stem 12 or 18 inches 

 high, simple, round, furrowed, cottony, hollow in the centre, 

 slightly leafy, very rarely bearing more than one flower. Leaves 

 lanceolate, either wavy, or unequally toothed, or sometimes si- 

 nuated, almost pinnatifid, copiously fringed with unequal bristly 



