Catamixis.] composite. 48r 



47. DICOMA, Cass. ; Fl. Brit. Ind. iii, 387. 



Herbs or low shrubs. Leaves alternate, -ffecjc^^ subsessile on the 

 branches, rarely corymbose, white or purple, homogamous, discoid. 

 Floicers all 2 -sexual or heterogamous with the outer flowers female 

 and all fertile, or the innermost sterile, tubular, limb 5-partite, 

 segments erect or revolute ; female (if present) slender and with a 

 short ligule. Invol-hracts many-seriate, ovate-lanceolate, or linear, 

 acuminate or spinesceut, outer shorter. Receptacle flat, naked, often 

 pitted. Anther-hases sagittate, tails long, bearded. Style-arms 

 short, erect, obtuse. Achenes turbinate, densely villous, 5-IO-ribbed. 

 Pappus-»7iairs many -seriate, inner or all flat, ecabrid bearded or 

 feathery ; outer shorter, paleaceous or of slender bristles. — Species 13 ; 

 in Trop. and S. Africa, one of which extends to India. 



D. tomentosa, Cass, in Bull. Soc. Philom. (ISIS) 47 ; F. B. I. iii, 887 / 

 WattE.D.; Coohe Fl. Bomh. ii, 5S. D. lanuginosa, DC; Boyle 111.248. 



An erect much-branched herb, 6-18 in. high. Stem woody at the base, 

 terete ; branches also terete, clothed with white woolly pubescence or- 

 finally glabrous and tinged with red. Leaves sessile, 1-3 in-, linear or 

 linear-obovate, obtuse or acute, apiculate, densely white-tomentose on 

 both sides : margins entire or minutely spinescent. Heads many, 

 solitary, snbaxillary and terminal, glabrous. Invol-bracts -l-f in, 

 linear -lanceolate, spinescent, shining. Corolla ^ in., white or pale-yellow. 

 Achenes f in. long, turbinate, truncate, densely silky. Pappus longer- 

 than the achenes ; outer bristles slender ; inner longer, paleaceous. 



Jumna and Chambal ravines in the districts of Agra, Delhi, and Etawah ; 

 also at Dholpur, and in the district of Ajmere. Flowers during the 

 cold season. Distrib. Punjab Plain, Sindh, and W. Peninsula ; also 

 in Trop. Africa. A preparation from this plant is used in Belgaum as 

 a febrifuge. 



48. CATAMIXIS, Thorns- ; Fl. Brit. Ind. iii, 389. 



An erect nndershrub. Leaves alternate, petiolei, obovate or 

 oblong, obtusely serrate. Heads small, narrow, in a broad terminal 

 corymb, yellow, homogamous, few-flowered. Flowers all 2-sexual, 

 similar, ligulate and fertile. Involucre oblong ; bracts few, many- 

 seriate, lauceolate, acute, outer shorter. Receptacle small, naked. . 

 Antliei'-hases sagittate ; tails elongate, barbellate. Style filiform, 

 obtuse ; arms very short, erect. Achenes narrowly turbinate, silkily 

 villous. Paip^w5-Aa^>5 sub-2-seriate, slender, seabrid, outer shorter. 

 — A single species, confined to N. India. 



