Mieroseris.] LXV. COMPOSITE. 881 



chaffy flat scales into about 2 rows, tapering into simple or shortly plumose 

 bristles. — Herbs with usually pinnatifid leaves. Scapes leafless, single-headed. 

 Florets yellow. 



Besides the Australian species, which extends to New Zealand, there is a closely allied one 

 from extratropioal S. America.— fiejit/s. 



1. IKE. Forsteri (after G. Forster), Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 151 and Fl. 



Tasm. i. 226 t. 66 ; Bertth. Fl. Amtr. iii. 676. A glabrous perennial with fleshy 

 roots thickened into tubers and a milky juice. Leaves radical, attaining 8 to 

 lOin. in luxuriant specimens, but often not half so long, narrow-lanceolate or 

 linear, entire or pinnatifid with, short distant lobes. Scapes exceeding the 

 leaves.. Involucre 6 to 8 lines long in most Australian specimens. Florets 

 exceeding the involucre. Pappus-bristles or scales in the commonest form not 

 much dilated in the lower part and only very minutely serrulate. — Scorzonera 

 scapigera, Forst. Prod. 91 ; Scorzonera {Mcmermios) Lawrencii, Hook. f. in Hook. 

 Lond. Journ. vi. 124 .; Phyllopappus lanceoLatus, Walp. in Linnsea, xiv. 507 ; 

 Sond. in Linnsea, xxv. 529.. 



Hab.: Stanthorpe and a few other southern localities. 



The aborigines ot South Australia used the tubers for food. In a raw state, these tubers 

 were, I remember, of a nice sweet flavour. 



83. PICRIS, Una. 



(Juice bitter.) 



Involucre of several nearly equal erect inner bracts, with 2 or 3 rows of smaller 

 outer ones, usually spreading. Receptacle without scales. Florets all ligulate. 

 Achenes transversely striate or muricate, not at all or very shortly beaked. 

 Pappus of whitish fine bristles, of which the inner ones at least are plumose. — 

 Coarse hispid annuals. Leaves alternate, toothed. Flower-heads in a loose 

 irregular corymb. Florets yellow. 



A genus containing but few species, natives of the temperate and subtropical regions of the 

 northern hemisphere in the Old World, one of which is also the Australian one, and is found as 

 an introduced plant in other parts of the world.— B«nt/i. 



1. P. hieracioides (Hieracium or Hawkweed-like), Linn.; DC. Prod. vii. 

 128 ; Benth. Fl. Amtr. iii. 678. A biennial firom 1 to 2 or 3ft. high, covered 

 with short rough hairs, hiost of which are minutely hooked so as to cling to 

 whatever they come in contact with, but rather less so in some of the Australian 

 than in the northern specimens. Leaves lanceolate or, espacially in Australian 

 specimens, linear, the lower ones tapering into a petiole, and often 6in. long or 

 more, the upper ones few and small. Peduncles rather long and stiff, the upper 

 ones sometimes irregularly umbellate. Involucre from under ^ to nearly fin. long. 

 Achenes very strongly transversely striate or muricate, usually contracted under 

 the pappus or tapering into a very short beak. Pappus -bristles usually very 

 plumose, except a few of the outer ones of each achene. — Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. 

 i. 227; P. angustifolia, DC. Prod. vii. 180; Sond. in Linnsea, xxv. 529 ; P. 

 attemiata, A. Cunn. in Ann. Nat. Hist. ii. 125 ; P. barbarortim, Lindl. in Mitch. 

 Three Exped. ii. 149, and in Bot. Eeg. 1838, Misc. 58 ; P. asperrima, Lindl. in 

 Bot. Reg. 1838, Misc. 58 ; P. hemulosa, Wall. ; DC. Prod. vii. 129. 



Hab.: Shoalwater Bay, JR. Brown ; Moreton Island, M'Gillivray ; Eookhampton, Dallachy ; 

 very common in southern localities. ■ 



Var. squarrosa. More hispid, with larger flower-heads and more numerous recurved outer 

 invplucral bracts.— P. squarrosa,. Sieetz in PI, Preiss. i. 488 ; Sond. in Linnsea, xxv. 529. 



The species is very common in the northern hemisphere in the Old World, and has much 

 spread with cultivation in other countries. This variety is truly indigenous in South Australia,' 

 and, from all appearance, also in southern Queensland, 



