ORD. I.] CmSIUM ERIOPHOPtUM. 



421 



biennial, white root, of the thickness of a thumb, and ap 

 ell in length, from which, during the second year, a stem 

 shoots up, about the height of a man, of the thickness of ^ 

 finger or thiunb, straight, green, angular, and entirely wool- 

 ly. The leaves are deeply semi-pinnate, the lowermost being 

 often two feet long, covered on their under-surface with thick, 

 woolly, white tomentum, and having their upper surface green, 

 set with stiff, somewhat crowded hairs. On the lower leaves 

 the laciniae are remote and upright, again divided into two 

 other laciniae, the larger of which is linear, the smaller 

 spear-shaped ; both of them are entire, but furnished with 

 thorns, and terminated in two strong yellowish thorns, 

 which are placed alternately upwards and downwards. The 

 middle rib is strong, projects downwards, and also terminates 

 in a long, stiff thorn. The stem-leaves are not so long, em- 

 brace the stem without running downwards, and are not so 

 regularly pinnated, but in other respects resemble the root- 

 leaves. The flowers on the top of the shoot, together with 

 the calyx, are about eight inches in circumference. The ca- 

 lyces, several of which often stand together, are furnished at 

 their base with very small, semi-pinnate, thorny covering 

 leaves, about the size of an ordinary apple : the small thorny 

 scales of the calyx are set with thick white wool, which, how- 

 ever, in many instances passes into something resembling a 

 mere cobweb. The florets are all uniform, tubular, of a purple 

 red colour, and their margin is divided into five segments. The 

 cylinder of antherae is longer than the floret ; the pistillum is 

 furnished with a divided stigma ; the receptacle is set with chaf- 

 fy leaves, which are divided into bristles. The pappus, stalk- 

 less and pinnated, rests upon a ring, which seems to be in 

 the act of disengaging itself from the oval seed. The seed is 

 a caryopsis, in which th« embryon, without albuminous mat- 

 ter, stands erect, with its cotyledons unfolded. 



Diagnosis and Affinity. 



The most nearly related to this species is Cirsium lanceo- 

 latum Scop, ; yet the calyx of the latter is not woolly, but 

 merely covered by a fine web, and the leaves, which are not 



