p 155. — Lux(. Reig. FI. p. 11. — Cow. FI. Guid<\ p. 29. — Baines’ FI. of Yorksh. 
p. 55. — Leight. FI. of Shropsh. p. 67. — Gulliv. PI. of Banb. p. 3. — Beesley’s Hist, 
of Banb. p 582. — Mack. Catal. PI. of Irel. p. 17. ; FI. Hibern. p. 141. — Dipsacus 
fullonum , Liglitf. FI. Scot. v. i. p. 113. — D fullonum , a. Linn. Sp. PI, p. 140. — 
Huds, FI. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 61. — Labrum Veneris , Lob. Icon, v, ii. p. 25, w ith 
a figure. 
Localities. — In hedges and w r oods; and by road-sides, and sides of wet ditches, 
rivers, canals. See. ; frequent. 
Bienrtiel. — Flowers in July and August. 
Root simple, with large fibres. Stem upright, from 3 to 6 feet 
high, branched, cylindrical, polished, striated, leafy, hollow, prickly, 
prickles near the base but few, near the heads very numerous, long, 
and sharp. Root-leaves (of the first year’s plant) egg-oblong, 
bluritish, spread on the ground in a circular form, notched, wrinkled, 
and rough with prickles thinly scattered over the leaf ; stem-leaves 
opposite, sessile, connate at the base, especially the lower ones, 
strap-spear-shaped, occasionally waved or toothed, smooth, with a 
strong midrib, which is furnished with distant hooked prickles on 
the under side. Heads of Flowers numerous, oblong-egg-shaped, 
terminating the stem and branches ; on strongly ribbed and fur- 
rowed stalks, their ribs set with strong, projecting prickles. Invo- 
lucrum of many leaves, outer ones longer than the head of flowers, 
inner ones shorter, all curved upwards, their margins and mid-ribs 
prickly. Corolla light purple or lilac, 4-cleft, those about the 
middle of the head opening first. Scales of the receptacle fbracteas ) 
(see fig. 6.) as long as the stamens, rigid, bearded, hollow and some- 
what triangular at bottom ; straight and taper pointed at the summit. 
This species is a native of most parts of Europe,- also of Siberia ; 
it affords a good example of what is termed a connate leaf (folium 
connatum) . The leaves are opposite, and so united at the base as 
to form a kind of cup, in which the rains collect, so that the stem 
is completely surrounded by water at the places from which the 
leaves arise. The water thus collected is said to cure warts on the 
hands, if several times washed with it, and to serve as a beauty 
wash for the face ; hence Ray conjectures that this plant might 
have received its name of Labium Veneris. It is also supposed to 
be good for the eyes. “ In desert countries,” says an ingenious 
author, “ the weary and severed traveller would often exchange the 
whole of his property for the luxury of a draught from one of these 
water-lodging plants ; but in this country the moisture is of more 
use to the plant itself than to the passenger or to the possessor.” — 
“ Indeed,” observes Dr. Withering, “ this curious structure would 
appear, in the present instance, to be rather destructive than pre- 
servative of animal life, for in the basins formed by these connate 
leaves, many insects are drowned ; so that Dipsacus may rank 
among the vegetable Muscicapee." — Mr. Francis, in his Little 
English Flora, says, that the old receptacles are called by the 
country children of Essex, and other places, Barber’s Brushes, and 
they form, when the seeds have fallen out, if not a good-shaped, at 
least a very penetrating hair brush. — Cattle in general, even the 
Ass, appear to avoid this plant ; and its dried stems usually remain 
through the Winter. 
