WEEDS AND WEED SEEDLINGS. 



41 



several generations in the year, flowering and seeding taking place 

 nearly all the year round. It is especially prolific on good land, and 

 often occurs in almost incredible quantity. The small drooping heads of 



Fig. 12. — Seedlings of Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris L.). 

 a, cotyledon stage; h, first-leaf stage; c, later stage. Natural size. 



yellow flowers produce ribbed fruits attached to short pappus hairs 

 which give the seeding heads the appearance of silky silvery bullets. 

 The soft light pappus enables the fruits to be borne away on the breeze. 



1, floret; and 2, achene, X about 2. 



This weed must be combated by repeated and thorough hoeing through 

 almost the whole year. 



The cotyledons (fig. 12) are small in. long), somewhat longish- 



