Notes on Indian Botany. 155 



Doronicum, with many others, furnish cases in point as to the 

 unsatisfactoriness of the theory, which is still further weak- 

 ened when subjected to the test of analogy, cases are not 

 wanting in other families, uninfluenced by any such cause, 

 where some species of even the same genus, have the limb of 

 the calyx fully developed, while in others it is reduced to 

 little more than a mere margin, and why might not the 

 same happen in Composite from other causes than pressure. 

 How should pressure produce setaceous pappus in one and 

 paleaceous in another. Admit that analogy is equally applica- 

 ble in both, and what becomes of Osmitopsis : " Omnia Osmites 

 sed ligulse constanter neutrse et achenia omnino calva," or 

 Doronicum, which only differs from the radiate Senecios in 

 having the a Achsenia radii calva" while in the other they are 

 crowned with pappus. Mere pressure which in the nature of 

 things must be as great in the centre as the circumference, is 

 surely unequal of itself, to produce so constant and uniform 

 an effect as this last example implies. Influenced by these 

 views, I fully acknowledge on account of their constancy, the 

 value of characters taken from the pappus, though I hesitate 

 to adopt the theory proposed to account for the numerous 

 variations of form, which the limb of the calyx in this family 

 is ascertained to assume, because it does not appear satisfac- 

 tory, or sufficiently comprehensive, to meet the numerous 

 anomalies which the subject presents. 



DORONICUM. 



D. tomentosum, (R. W.,) Stem herbaceous and sub-to- 

 mentose, at first simple, leafy; afterwards corymbosely branch- 

 ed and nearly naked : lower leaves elliptic, tapering to the base ; 

 upper ones somewhat ovate, lanceolate, auricled sub-amplexi- 

 caul ; Coarsely and unequally dentate ; above rough and 

 slightly arachnoidose ; beneath densely tomentose, white : 

 corymbs lax, peduncles bracteolatc : ligulce about 14-sterile ; 



