222 COMPOSITE FAMILY. 



66. CYNARA. Scales of the involucre of the great heads thickened and fleshy towards the 



base, commonly notched at the end, with or without a prickle. Akenes slightly 

 ribbed. .Otherwise much as in the last. 



++ ++ Pappus of naked, rough, or short-barbed bristles , or none. 



64. ARCTIUM. Scales of the globular involucre abruptly tipped with a spreading, slender, 



awl-shaped appendage, mostly hooked at its point. Receptacle bristly. Akenes 

 flattened, wrinkled ; pappus of many short and rough bristles, their bases not 

 united, deciduous. Leaves and stalks not prickly. 



68. CARTHAMUS. Outer scales of the involucre leaf-like and spreading, middle ones with 

 ovate appendage fringed with spiny teeth or little spines, innermost entire and 

 sharp-pointed. Receptacle beset with linear chaff. Akenes very smooth, 4-ribbed ; 

 pappus none. Leaves with rigid or short spiny teeth. 



(67) CENTAUREA ; see +- +- 



+- +- Thistle-like, with many-ranked imbricated scales to the involucre, many flowers s 

 and the two branches of the style united into one body almost or quite to the tip, 

 as in +- ; but the outer flowers of the head different from the rest and sterile 

 except in a few kinds of Centaurea. Receptacle beset with bristles. 



65. CNICUS. Outer flowers smaller than the rest, slender-tubular, sterile. Scales of the 



involucre tipped with a long, spine-like appendage which is spiny-fringed down the 

 sides. Akenes short-cylindrical, many-ribbed, and grooved, crowned with 10 short 

 and horny teeth, within which is a pappus of 10 long and rigid and 10 short naked 

 bristles. Leaves prickly-toothed. 



67. CENTAUREA. Outer flowers sterile and with corolla larger than the rest,, often fun- 



nel-shaped and with long, sometimes irregular lobes, forming a kind of false ray ; 

 but these are wanting in a few species. Involucre various, but the scales commonly 

 i with fringed, sometimes with spiny tips. Akenes flat or Cattish ; pappus of several 

 or many bristles or narrow scales, or none. 



■i- +- +- Bur-Wee or achenium-like in the fruit, which is a completely closed involucre 

 containing only one or two flowers, consisting of a pistil only, with barely a 

 rudiment of corolla, therefore very different from most plants of the family; 

 but the staminate flowers are several and in a flat or top-shaped involucre. 

 Heads therefore moncecious, or rarely dicecious ; no pappus. Coarse and 

 homely weeds. 



82. AMBROSIA. Heads of staminate flowers in racemes or spikes terminating the stems 

 or branches, their involucre of several scales united in a flatfish or top-shaped cup ; 

 fertile flowers clustered below the staminate, only one inclosed in each small ache- 

 nium-like involucre, which is naked, or with a few tubercles or strong points near 

 the top in a single row. 



63. XANTHIUM. Heads of staminate flowers in short racemes or spikes, their involucre 



of several scales in one row ; fertile flowers below them, clustered in the axils, two 

 together in a 2-celled hooked prickly bur. 



+- -i- -i- +- Plants not thistle-like, spiny, nor bur-like in their fruits, heads, or herbage. 



++ Two kinds of flowers in the same head, the outer ones with pistils only, 



= Pappus none, or a minute border or cup. 



fl No chaff among the flowers; scales of the involucre dry, often with scarious margins, 

 imbricated. Bitter-aromatic or rather acrid plants, 



58. TANACETUM. Heads of many yellow flowers ; the marginal ones with pistil only 

 and a 8'-5-toothed corolla. Akenes angled or ribbed, with a flat top, crowned with a 

 cup-like, toothed or lobed pappus. Very strong-scented herbs, with heads in a corymb. 



64. ARTEMISIA. Heads small, of few or many yellow or dull purplish flowers, some of 



the marginal ones pistillate and fertile, the others perfect, but sometimes not matur- 

 ing the ovary. Akenes obovate or club-shaped, small at the top, destitute of pappus. 

 Bitter-aromatic and strong- scented plants, with heads in panicles. 

 (52) CHRYSANTHEMUM. One species, of old yards, is discoid (p. 226). 



