ECHINOPS 



DAISY ORDER 



CAliLINA 547 



Trihe XI. Cynaroide^. — Leaves alternate, often spiny. Florets usually all 

 tubular. Bracts of the involucre in many rows, usually imbricated and more 

 or less prickly. Disc often fleshy, with dense bristles or fimbriated scales. Achenes 

 often hard. Pappus bristly or chafify, rarely none. 



ECHINOPS (Globe Thistle).— A 

 genus containing over 70 species of showy, 

 vigorous, Thistle-like, more or less whitish- 

 woolly biennials or perennials. Leaves 

 pinnate-toothed, or once, twice, or thrice 

 pinnately cut, with spiny lobes and teeth. 

 Inflorescence remarkable for having the 

 1-flowered capitules in terminal globose 

 clusters, resembling the flower-heads of 

 most other genera in the order Coiapositffi. 

 Florets white or blue, with an involucre 

 of prickly scales and bristles. 



Culture and Propagation. — The 

 Globe Thistles are excellent and showy 

 border plants, and thrive in ordinary 

 garden soil. The perennials may be 

 increased by dividing the roots in early 

 spring, or by making root cuttings as in 

 the case of Senecio pulcher (see p. 542) ; 

 seeds may also be sown under glass in 

 autumn or spring as with the laiennial 

 kinds, and the seedlings will be ready for 

 transplanting about the end of May. 



E. bannaticus. — An Hungarian bien- 

 nial 2-3 ft. high, with roughish downy 

 pinnately cut and lobed leaves having 

 spiny lobes. Flowers in summer, deep 

 violet-blue, in round heads. 



Culture do. as above. 



E. commutatus {E. exaltatus). — A 

 vigorous Austrian perennial 5-7 ft. high, 

 with roughish piimately cut spiny leaves, 

 hairy above, downy beneath. Flowers 

 in summer, whitish or purplish, borne on 

 hairy, cobwebby stems. 



Culture lie. as above. 



E. Ritro. — A pretty S. European 

 perennial about 3 ft. high, with piimately 

 cut, but not spiny leaves, webbed above, 

 downy beneath. Flowers in summer, 

 blue. 



Culture dc. as above. 



E. ruthenicus. — A fine species 3-5 ft. 

 high, native of S. Bussia, with whitish 

 downy stems, and leathery leaves 

 pinnately cut into toothed and spiny 

 segments, green above, downy beneath. 

 Flowers in summer, deep blue. 



Culture dc. as above. 



E. sphaerocephalus. — A handsome 

 species 2-4 ft. high, with striped branches 

 and wavy piunatifid spiny leaves, green 



and hairy above, white or woolly beneath. 

 Flowers in summer, pale blue. The 

 variety giganteus is more robust in habit 

 with larger heads of flowers, and albidus 

 has whitish flower-heads. 

 Culture dc. as above. 



XERANTHEMUM.— A genus with 

 4 or 5 species of erect hoary annual 

 ' Everlastings ' having narrow entire 

 leaves, and solitary long-stalked flower- 

 heads at the tips of the branches. 

 Involucre bell-shaped or cylindrical, with 

 many chaffy bracts, often coloured. Disc 

 flat, chafiy. Pappus bristly. 



X. annuum (X. radiatum). — A beauti- 

 ful S. European ' Everlasting ' about 2 ft. ^ 

 high, with whitish woolly branches and 

 leaves, and white, purple, yellow, or violet 

 flowers. There are many colour varieties, 

 the principal being, albtim, white ; im- 

 periale, dark violet-purple ; multiflora, a 

 compact-growing form with white, purple, 

 or violet flowers ; superhissimum-, a pretty 

 double form with various colours ; plenis- 

 simum, dark purple double ; Tom Thumb, 

 somewhat like multiflora, &c. 



Culture wnd Propagation. — These 

 ' Everlastings ' may be sown in the open 

 border in April in ordinary soil. The 

 flowers are borne in profusion and are 

 excellent for cutting. They may be dried 

 head downwards in a cool airy place for 

 winter decoration like the Helichrysums 

 (p. 508). 



CARLINA (Chaelbmagne's Thistle). 

 This genus contains about 14 species of 

 rather stemless or erect dwarfish peren- 

 nial herbs, rarely shrubs, with toothed or 

 pinnately cut and divided spiny leaves. 

 Flower -heads sessile among the lower 

 leaves, or solitary at the apex of the 

 branches, or in corymbs. Involucre broadly 

 bell-shaped, with many imbricated bracts. 

 Disc flat, fleshy, with chaffy scales. Pap- 

 pus feathery. 



Culture and Propagation. — Carlinas 

 are worth growing, and are suitable for 

 edges of shrubberies, woodland walks, or 

 on warm sunny banks in ordinary soil. 

 They may be easily raised from seed sown 

 in April in the open border, or may be 

 divided in early autumn or spring. 



N K 2 



