224 CICH0BIACE.2E. 



9. PICRIS, Theophr. Coarse branching leafy herbs, rough-bristly, 

 yellow-flowered; the heads scattered. Involucre double, an outer series of 

 foliaceous spreading bracts and an inner erect series. Achenes subterete, 

 transversely rugose, beaked and bearing a pappus of plumose bristles. 



1. P. echioidbs, L. Biennial, 2 — 3 ft. high: stem hispid with hooked 

 hairs; oblanceolate leaves rough with bristles from a pustulate base: 

 outer involucral bracts ovate-acuminate, bristly-spiny on the margins: 

 achenes reddish, slender-beaked; pappus very plumose. — Common way- 

 side weed about Vallejo, West Berkeley, Santa Clara, etc. 



10. MALA.COTHRIX, DeCandolle. Annuals, heterogeneous as to 

 habit, involucre, etc., but known by short glabrous terete and 5 — 15 

 costate, or 4 — 5-angled truncate achenes with denticulate border to the 

 summit, and a soft-capillary deciduous pappus, accompanied by one or 

 more stouter bristles which are more persistent; the inner, more copious 

 deciduous set more or less joined into a ring at base. 



* Acaulescent; heads large, pale-yellow. 



1. M. Californica, DC. Woolly when young, with very long soft 

 hairs: leaves once or twice pinnately pinnatifid into narrow-linear or 

 almost filiform lobes : scapes stoutish : involucre long-conical, % in. high; 

 outer bracts slender-subulate; receptacle slender-bnstly: achenes nar- 

 row, striate-oustate : outer pappus of 2 persistent bristles, and between 

 them some minute pointed teeth. — Plains of eastern Contra Costa Co. 



* * Caulescent, branching freely; heads smaller. 



2. M. parviflora, Benth. Leaves scattered, only some of the lower 

 pinnatifid; plant 1 ft. high; panicle narrow; heads J^ in. high, few- 

 flowered, ft. yellow; achenes oblong linear, minutely striate-costate, 

 4 or 5 of the ribs slightly more prominent; outer pappus of 1 conspicuous 

 bristle and many white selulose teeth. — Mt. Diablo Range, and plains to 

 the eastward. April — June. 



3. M. obtusa, Benth. Leaves in a rosulate radical tuft, runcinate- 

 pinnatifid, the lobes sinuate-toothed, the teeth or sinuses bearing tufts 

 of cottony white wool: stem 8 — 10 in. high, diffusely corymbose-panicu- 

 late: heads 3a m - high; fl- pure white, or with a pinkish tinge: achenes 

 obovate-oblong, obtusely 5-angled, the apex slightly narrowed and border 

 entire; none of the pappus-brislles persistent. — Coast and Mt. Diablo 

 ranges at middle and higher elevations. May, June. 



4. M. Coulteri, Gray. Stoutish, erect, 1—2 ft. high, with rather few 

 branches; herbage glabrous, glaucescent: upper cauline leaves ovate or 

 cordate, sessile, clasping, all sparsely toothed: involucres % in. high, 

 ovoid, of silvery-scarious bracts rery distinctly imbricated in several 

 series: fl. white, fading purplish: achenes acutely about 15-ribbed and 

 4- or 5-angled, the summit obscurely denticulate : 1 or 2 stouter bristles 

 more persistent. — Plains of the lower San Joaquin. April — June. 



