Launcea.'] Lxxviii. composite. (J. D. Hooker.) 415 



simple^ very slender, white, a few inner sometimes longer and stronger, all 

 connate at the Base into a deciduous ring. — Disteib. Ahout 20 species, 

 European, African and W. Asian. 



• Achenes not winged. 



t Meads terminal on the paniculatdy'hranchedjioioei-ing stems. 



1. Xi. asplenilfolla, DC. Prodr. vii. 181 (Microrhynchus) ; bietinial or 

 perennial, glabrous, radical leaves sinuate-lohed or pinnatifid, cauline few, 



' flowering stems many from the root, branches dichotomous divaricating, heads 

 J in. terminal paniculate peduncles bracteate, outer invol. bracts small inner 

 linear margins membranous, achenes ininute columnar angled and ribbed, ribs 

 rough much shorter than the very soft straight white pappus. Microrhynchus 

 aspleniifolius, DC. ; Clarke Cmnp. Ind. 276. Prenanthes dichotoma. Wall. Cat. 

 3275. P. aspleniifoUa, Willd. f ; Roxh. Fl. Ind. iii. 404. 



Plains of India ; from the Punjab to Assam and southwards to the Soonderbunds, 

 Circars, Andamans, Birma and Tenasserim. 



Leaves 3-6 in., sessile or shortly petioled, narrowly obovate, lobes minutely toothed. 

 Flowering steins ascending, almost naked, 6-18 in. long; peduncles with usually one 

 or two subulate bracts; invol. bracts quite glabrous. Achenes ^ in., pale, very 

 narrow ; pappus g- in., deciduous, hairs of about equal length, with no stronger inner 

 ones. — De Candolle quotes Hierdoiwm dichotomwm of Koxb. Fl. Ind. under this, but no 

 such name is .published by Roxburgh, though he gave it in mss. Roxburgh describes 

 this as perennial or biennial and stoloniferous, which latter I have never seen it to be. 



2. Ii. clxondrilloides, DC. Prodr. vii. 183 (ZoUikoferia) ; perennial, 

 glabrous, erect, radical leaves rosulate runcinate-pinnatifid lobes numerous very 

 imequal much irregularly acutely toothed, cauline sessile auricled irregularly 

 toothed or pinnatifid, flowering stems few or many stout dichotomously branched, 

 heads terminal ^-1 in. long, peduncles bracteate, invol. bracts glabrous outer 

 ovate-lanceolate intermediate equalling the oblong-lanceolate inner, achenes 

 slender columnar strongly ribbed, ribs scaberulous rather shorter than the soft 

 white pappus. Microrhynchus chondrilloides, Clarke Comp. Ind. 277. Sonchus 



• Oandolleanus, Javh. ^ Spach III. PI. Orient, iii. t. 279. ZoUikoferia mucronata, 

 Boiss. Fl. Orient, iii. 822. 



The Punjab ; Mooltan, Edgeworth, low hills at Rawul Pindee, Aitchison. Scind, 

 Stocks, Dalsell, &c. — Distkib. Affghanistan, Persia, Arabia, Egypt. 



Leaves 3-5 in., narrow, subsessile. Flowering branches 6-18 in., often stout, 

 leafy at the axils; peduncles stout, thin, bracteoles ovate toothed; invol. bracts 

 without membranous white edges, bases at length thickened. Achenes J in. pale ; 

 outer pappus hairs numerous, excessively slender, very soft, inner few much longer 

 nearly ^ in. rigid much stouter but quite smooth. 



3. Ii. mlcrocepliala, Hook, f. ; annual, small and very slender, sparsely 

 villous, radical leaves obovate-spathulate entire or sinuate-lobed, flowering 

 stems filiform dichotomously branched, heads 5 in. long cylindric, peduncles 

 capillary ebracteolate, invol. bracts glabrous or puberulous outer minute inner 

 linear midrib thickened in fruit, achenes slender linear trimcate at both ends, 

 striate, much longer than the scanty white pappus. Orepis microcephala, 

 Clarke mss. 



Westeen Tibet ; Iskardo, alt. 9000 ft., Clarke. 



Soot very slender. Radical leaves ^-1 in., - petioled, sparsely pubescent with 



spreading Ixairs. Flowering stems several, erect 2-7 in., pubescent below, with sessile 



oblong leaves at the lower forks, the upper naked ; invol. bracts 6-8 with narrow 



white margins, hardened in fruit. Achenes ^ in., dark brown when ripe, outer 



■ slightly curved; pappus j^ in. very soft, white, persistent, — I refer this to Lamax 



