THE ALPINE LETTUCE 267 



and, though not confined to the forests, it favours, as a 

 rule, only the shadier spots in the pastures. The 

 Coltsfoot, on the other hand, is a marked sun plant, 

 living in situations not only fully illuminated, but of 

 the driest description. On the other hand, the Alpine 

 Lettuce loves a damp situation, a shady retreat, and a 

 large percentage of humus in the soil. Its leaves are 

 much smaller, heart-shaped or kidney-shaped, and 

 very dark bluish-green on the upper surface. The 

 nerves are very prominent, and, on the lower surface, 

 are covered with hairs. The leaves appear at the 

 same time as the flower-heads. 



Only a single flower-head is produced, and this is 

 borne on a long, brown stalk. The flowers are of a 

 dull, brownish-red tinge, which is quite unmistakable. 

 The corollas of the outer ray (female) flowers are not 

 strap-shaped, as in the Coltsfoot, or Arnica, or Ox- 

 eye Daisy, but divided into thread-like segments — a 

 very rare feature among the Compositse. 



