Hieracium.\ xlvi. composite: cichoracea:. 
217 
becoming thus single, but variable species. Mr. Bentham has there- 
fore (perhaps not injudiciously) reduced all those of this country to 
seven. In the 7th edition of the British Flora, we had the assistance 
of Mr. Backhouse, before he had matured his views ; it is therefore 
only justice to him that we here insert the same species, with their 
arrangement, as proposed by him in his monograph. Occasionally 
we may combine some of his species, ‘when there is scarcely any 
difference between his characters; and we shall omit from the text 
(although inserting them with some modifications in notes') his sec- 
tional subdivisions, on account of their passing gradually into each 
other, and being so vague that persons unacquainted with the name of 
a species may often look for it in a wrong group. The only object of 
a ‘ Species Plantarum,’ or in giving names to species, is to enable any 
one who has a specimen before him to ascertain correctly what it is. 
whether alive or in the herbarium, in the field or in gardens, stinted 
or drawn out; but in this genus some of the marks of distinction (as 
the colour of the styles) refer “ exclusively to the living plant ;” others, 
(as those taken from the involucres) are chiefly to be seen “when the 
florets are in perfection ; ” the hairs at the tips of the ligules are chiefly 
fit for examination in “the unexpanded florets;” while the colour of 
the hairs on the involucre, on which too much reliance is placed, changes 
from white to tawny in a dried state. It is much to be regretted that Mr. 
Backhouse has not added an artificial key, or analytical table of the 
species adapted to all states of the plant, so that one might readily 
seize on, and retain in the memory, the precise distinctions intended : 
from want of this there are several of his species which we ourselves 
have not heen able to determine, although we probably possess them. 
In conformity with Mr. Backhouse’s views the stem is termed one- 
headed, when it shows no tendency to produce more : but it is said to 
be one- or few-heailed, when, in addition to a single developed head, 
there are either a few other heads, or axillary buds ready to form them 
if the plant be sufficiently luxuriant. The term Jioccose is conveniently 
used (although not correctly so) when stellate down is present, either 
copiously or scattered. As in the genera Busa and Ruhus, the rigid 
hairs bearing a terminal gland are called seta ; but these hairs pass 
gradually into black hairs tipped with a white hair instead of a gland, 
and these again into ordinary hairs, either with or without a bulbous 
black base. Characters obtained from any of these cannot, we fear, be 
much relied on.] 
A. Plants producing scions. Ligules glabrous. Achenes 
minute, striate; hairs of the pappus equal, very slender. 
Piloselloidea. (Sp. 1 — 2.) 
1. H . Pilosella L. ( common Mouse-ear //.) ; leaves entire 
elliptic-lanceolate or lanceolate hairy with dense stellate down 
beneath, primary stem 1 -headed leafless, involucre ovate at the 
base, inner scales acute and narrower than the outer ones, 
styles yellow. E. B. t. 1093. 
Banks and dry pastures, frequent. 2/.. 5 — 8. — Florets of a pale 
lemon-yellow, those of the ray with red stripes on the back. The 
leafy scions ( stolones ) sometimes produce a flowering terminal stem in 
L 
