314 CICHORIACEAE. Vor. III. 
13. MALACOTHRIX DC. Prodr. 7: 192. 1838. 
Annual or perennial, branching or scapose herbs, with alternate or basal, mostly pinnatifid 
leaves, and long-peduncled panicled or solitary heads of yellow or rarely white flowers. 
Involucre campanulate, its principal bracts in I or 2 series, equal or nearly so, with several 
series of shorter exterior ones. Receptacle flat, naked or bristly. Rays truncate and 5-toothed 
at the apex. Anthers sagittate at the base. Style-branches slender. Achenes oblong or 
linear, glabrous, 10-15-ribbed, 4 or 5 of the ribs usually more prominent than the others, 
truncate, or margined and 4-5-toothed at the summit. Pappus-bristles in 2 series, the inner 
naked or minutely serrulate, slender, coherent at the base and deciduous in a ring, the outer 
few (1-8), more persistent, or all deciduous in our species. [Greek, soft-hair, in allusion to 
the soft pappus.] 
About 15 species, natives of the western and southwestern United States and lower California. 
Type species: Malacothrix californica DC. 
1. Malacothrix sonchoides (Nutt.) T. & G. 
Malacothrix. Fig. 4060. 
Leptoseris sonchoides Nutt. Trans. Am. Phil. Soe. (II.) 7: 
439. 1841. 
Malacothrix sonchoides T. & G. Fl. N. A. 2: 486. 1843. 
Annual, glabrous throughout, or slightly glandular; 
stem branched, 6’-12’ high. Leaves somewhat fleshy, 
oblong or linear-oblong in outline, pinnatifid and the 
lobes dentate with mucronate-pointed teeth, the basal 
ones 14’-3’ long, narrowed into short broad petioles, 
those of the stem smaller, sessile; heads several or 
numerous, 8-13” broad; principal bracts of the invo- 
lucre linear, acute, scarious-margined, the outer short, 
oblong, obtuse, or acutish; achenes linear-oblong, 
margined at the summit by a 15-denticulate white 
border; pappus-bristles all deciduous. 
On dry plains, western Nebraska and Kansas to Cali- 
fornia and Arizona. May—Aug. 
14. CHONDRILLA [Tourn.] L. Sp. Pl. 796. 1753. 
Perennial herbs, with stiff divaricately branched stems, the basal leaves large and mostly 
pinnatifid, those of the stem small, narrow, alternate, and few middle sized heads of yellow 
flowers mostly solitary at the ends of the branches. Involucre cylindric, several-flowered, 
its inner bracts in I or 2 series, nearly equal, with several series of small or minute outer 
ones. Receptacle flat, naked. Rays truncate and 5-toothed at the summit. Anthers sagittate 
at the base. Style-branches slender. Achenes oblong or linear, 4-5-angled, many-ribbed, 
more or less spiny near the summit, abruptly contracted into a beak. Pappus of copious 
soft white simple bristles. [Greek, lump, from the gummy matter borne on the stems of 
some species.] + 
About 18 species, natives of the Old World, the fol- 
lowing typical. 
1. Chondrilla jancea L. Gum Succory. 
Fig. 4061. 
Chondrilla juncea L. Sp. Pl. 796. 1753. 
Stem rush-like, hirsute at the base, glabrous above, 
much branched, 1°-3° high. Basal leaves runcinate- 
pinnatifid, those of the stem linear or linear-lanceolate, 
acute, dentate or entire, sessile, 4’-13’ long, $’—-13” 
wide; heads terminal and lateral on the branches,- 
short-peduncled or sessile, 4-6” broad; involucre 
glabrous or nearly so, about 4” high, its inner bracts 
narrowly linear; achenes muricate and spiny near 
the summit, slightly shorter than the filiform beak. 
In dry fields and waste places, Delaware to Maryland 
and Virginia. Naturalized from Europe. July—Aug. 
Naked-weed. Skeleton-weed. Devil’s-grass. Hog-bite. 
