Botanical Notes. 139 



j3. Icevigatum. Leaves pinnatifid with two intermediate teeth, 



outer involucral bracteae ovate-lanceolate;, patent, not reflexed. 



T. laevigatum, dc. Bot. Gall. i. 300. 



L. tar. II. laevigatum, Gaud. 1. c. 



L. alpestre et arcuatum, Bluff* et Fing. 1. c. ? 

 Leaves slender, pinnatifid, with two small tooth-like processes 

 (on both sides of the midrib,) in each interval between the long nar- 

 row acute segments which point downwards ; the terminal lobe 

 smaller than the others, acute, often forming merely a point to the 

 leaf; in some cases the segments are all enlarged, and the leaves 

 approach the runcinate form of var. officinale, the tooth-like proces- 

 ses being seated more or less upon the upper edge of the segments ; 

 (in one of my specimens a single leaf is so much widened as exact- 

 ly to resemble those of var. officinale ;) midrib narrow, with three 

 longitudinal striae. A specimen from Sussex has the leaves much 

 longer, with greater intervals between the segments, and the tooth- 

 like processes filiform and very minute. Scape smooth, slender, 

 usually erect, longer than the leaves, sometimes twice their length. 

 Involucral bractese with slender white margins ; the inner ones ra- 

 ther broadly lanceolate, obtuse, the outer very short, ovate-lan- 

 ceolate, erect, patent, not recurved. Florets often tubular for three- 

 fourths of their length. Fruit red, clavate, striated, the ribs less 

 strongly marked than in var. officinale, its upper part very broad, 

 armed with strong spines for about one-fourth of its length, and gra- 

 dually attenuated into the beak, the base of which is red like the 

 fruit, for a short distance. Pappus rough, with minute alternate 

 teeth, not smooth (laevis) as described by Gaudin. 



This form of our variable plant occurs on banks, Avails, chalk-hills, 

 and other dry places, also on the sands near the sea. I have re- 

 ceived it from Sussex, through the kindness of Mr Borrer, and have 

 gathered it at Cleyhorf, on the Gogmagog hills, Cambridge ; and in 

 Anglesea on the sands near Llyn Coron and Malltraeth. The Cam- 

 bridge specimens are far less elegant than the others, approaching 

 most nearly in appearance to var. officinale. This plant is usually so 

 slender in all its parts as to attract attention from its beauty, and is 

 probably far from rare, but has been passed over as an accidental 

 variety. 



I have seen small specimens, which I cannot refer to either of the 

 other varieties, having the leaves obovate, strongly dentate, but hard- 

 ly runcinate, and narrowing into a long petiole, the inner involucral 

 bractese lanceolate, obtuse, the outer row broadly ovate-lanceolate, 

 short. I at one time supposed that this might be T. obovatum. 



