&6NCHUS PALUSTRIS. MARSH OR TitEE SoW-THlSTLE* 



SONCHUS Lin. Gen. PL Syngenesia Polygamia jequalis. 



Recept. nudum. Calyx imbricatiis^ ventricofus. Pappus plumofus. 



Rail Syn. Gen. 27. HerbjefLore compositor nattjrA pleno lactescentes. 



SQNCHUS pafajlris pedunculis calycibufque hifpidis fubumbellatis, foliis runcinatis bail ariftatis; LMi 

 Syjl. Vegetab. p. 594. bail fagittatis. Sp. PL p, Mi6» 



SONCHUS afper arborefcens. Ra'uhin. Pin. p. 1 24. ed. 2» 



HIERACIUM arborefcens paluftre. Ejufd.bd.i, 



SONCHUS tricubitalis, Folio cufpldato. Merr, Pitn 



SONCHUS arborefcens alter. Gen Em. p. 294* 



SONCHUS tevis altiffimus vel Sonchus kevior auftriacus 5. altiiilmus. Cliif. tiifl. CXLVIL 



SONCHUS arborefcens^ Parkins, p. 808. Rail Syn. p. 163.» The greateft Marm Tree Sow-thiffe 

 Hudfon. Fl. Anglic, p. 337. 



"* ' •---.• - , - ■,,,...- • • ■ --...■ ■■ 



RADIX perennis, plurirrils fibris majufcillis capillata, t ROOT perennial, furnifhed with numerous large fibres, 

 miriime verb repens ficut in arvenfi. f but not creeping, as in the com Sow-thiftle. 



CAULIS : ex eadem radice, exfurgunt caules plures, ? STALK : from the lame root arife feveral (talks, up- 

 erecti; orgyales, et ultra, eraffitie pollicis, an- 1 right; fix feet or more high, the thicknefs or* 



gulati, laeves, purpurafcentes, fiftulofij la£te-$ one's thumb, angular, fmooth, purplifh, hoi- 



fcentes, foliofi, apice rarriofi. | low, milky, and branched at top. 



FOLIA caulina fparfa, inferiora bail fagittata, runci- $ LEAVES of the ftalk placed without any regular order, 

 nata, laciniis diiabus, vel tribus utrinque inse- 1 the lower ones arrow-fhaped at the bafe, and 



qualibus, acuminatis, terminali longiffima, fu- 1 funcinate, with two or three unequal pointed 



prema Integra, eniiformia, ball ariftata, omni- t fegrrients on each fide, the terminal one very 



bus minutim denticulatis; | long, the upper leaves entire, fword-fhapedj 



f bearded at the bafe, all of them very finely 



I toothed. 



FLORES fubumbellati, iuteij ftoribus drvenfis duplo f FLOWERS of a yellow colour, about half the fize of 

 minores. | thofe of the corn SoW-thiftle, forming a large 



y , kind of umbel. 



PEDUNCULI hifpidi feu potius vifcidl cum omnes pili| FLOWER- STALKS hifpid or rather vifcid, as each 

 globulo terminantur. y hair is terminated by a globule. 



CALYX communis primo cylindraceus, apice truncatus^ | CALYX : the common calyx at firft cylindrical, truh- 

 vifcidus, pera£ta florefcentia ventricofo-eonicus, | Gated at top; aiid vifcid, the flowering being 



fquamis plurimis, linearibus, inaequalibus. Over, bellying out at bottom and conical, the 



I fcales numerous, linear and unequal. 



COROLLA compofita, imbricata, uniformis. Corol- % COROLLA compound, imbricated and uniform. Florets 

 lulee hermaphrodite, numerofse, aequales; Tu- 1 hermaphrodite, numerous, and equal. Tube 



bus longitudine limbi, albus, pilofus. Limhusy the length of the limb, white and hairy, 



linearis, apice quinquedentatusj Jig. 1* 2. | Limb linear, terminated by five teeth, Jig. 1,2. 



STAMINA: Filament A quinque, capillaria, brevif- | STAMINA : five, capillary, very fhort Filaments. 

 fima. Anthe&je flavae* in tubum cylindra- \ Anthers yellow, forming a cylindrical tube, 



Ceum coalitae, Jig. 3. | fig' 3' 



^ISTILLUM: Germen oblongo-ovatum, album. fPISTILLUM : Germen oblong-ovate, white. Style 

 Stylus filiformis, longitudine ftaminUm. | filiform, the length of the ftamina. Sti<5- 



Stigmata duo, revolutaj Jig. 4, 5. f mat a two, rolled back, Jig. 4, 5. 



SEMEN pallide fufcum, oblongUm, utrinque fulcatum, | SEED pale brown, oblong, with a groove on each fide,- 

 unde fubtetragonum apparet, Jig. 6. ^ whence it appears fomewhat four-cornered, 



I . . fig- 6. 

 PAPPUS femine longiorj; leffilis, fimplex. I DOWN longer than the feed; feffile, Unbranched. 



RECEPTACULUM nudum, pundis prominulis fca- % RECEPTACLE naked, rough with fmall prominent 



brum. * points. 



Parkinson gives a tolerable figure, and a pretty accurate defcription of this plant ; aiid fucceeding Botanifts, 

 particularly Ray, have fufficieiitly afcertained its fpecific characters : nevertheless Haller confiders it as a variety 

 of the arvenjis : his words are, " nee mihi omnia cbnfideranti differre videtur." Had the Baron feen the plant 

 growing, he certainly would not have been thus lingular in his opinion. 



It agrees with the arvenjis in having a perennial root, which however does not creep. When placed in a garden, by 

 the fide of the arvenjis, it exceeds it one half; and when planted by the water fide, out-tops it by two- thirds. Indeed, 

 in fuch Situations we have feen it ten feet high, and we believe it may juftly be considered as the taller! English 

 plant ; but though it is fo much taller than the arvenjis, its blofToms are not fo large. In its place of growth it 

 differs alfo from the arvenjis % while the one is chiefly obferved in corii-fields, the other is a conftant inhabitant of 

 marines. There is a difference alfo in the periods of their flowering, the paluftris being later by about three weeks ; 

 but the bafe of the leaf in thefe two plants affords, perhaps, the belt, character, and of which Linn^us, with his' 

 uiual acumen, has availed himfelf. 



The Sonchus paluftris occurs Sparingly in the marfhes about Blackwall and Poplar, and flowers the latter end of 



July- 



The common Sow-thiftle is well known to be a favourite food of rabbits ; but we believe it has fcarcely been 

 fufpe&ed, that it might be ranked with our efculent herbs ; yet a gentleman, whofe delicate ftate of health has led 

 him to make experiments on fuch kind of plants, and in whofe veracity we place the moft implicit confidence, 

 allures us, that he has found the tender moots and buds of the common Sow-thiftle (the fmooth fort) boiled in the 

 manner of Spinach, to afford excellent greens, fuperiorto any others which he has tried, not in common ufe. 



