:>2 EXGLTSH BOTANY. 
Appendages black, very densely imbricated, with the cilia much 
longer than the undivided portion, dark brown. 
Var. 3, decipiens. Bab. 
Plate DCCVII. 
Bob. Man. Brit. Bot. ed. v. p. 188. 
C. decipiens, ThuUl. Fl. Tar. p. 445 (?). 
C. nigrescens, 0. pratensis (?), C. niicroptilon, et C. Debeanxii, Gr. & Godr. Fl. de Fr. 
Vol. II. pp. 241 to 243. 
0. nigrescena WiUd. (?). Hook. & Am. Brit, Fl. ed. viii. p. 240. 
Branches slender, generally elongated, only slightly thickened 
beneath the anthodes, which are often radiant. Appendages 
brown, somewhat spreading, the lower ones small, not concealing 
the phyllaries ; the cilia somewhat shorter than in var. a, brown 
or pale-brown. 
In pastures, borders of fields, roadsides, &c. Very common, and 
generally distributed. Var. a very common in the North ; var. 3 
apparently confined to the South of England, where it is abun- 
dant. I have seen it from Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Hants, Dorset, 
Devon, Gloucester, Wilts, Somerset, and Cambridge and Berks. 
England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Autumn. 
Stem 6 inches to 3 feet high, generally slightly branched in 
the upper part. Leaves very variable, both in breadth and degrees 
of division, the upper ones narrower and generally entire. 
Anthodes \ to f inch or more across. Achenes whitish-grey, 
rather shiny, with a few short hairs and generally no pappus. 
Plant dull-green, rather rough with small hairs. 
Var. ^ is a more elegant plant, with the pericline generally 
smaller and less globular, and the branches more wiry than in 
var. a. It is not impossibly a distinct sub-species ; but I have 
failed to discover any actual line of demarcation between it and 
var. a, and often feel at a loss to decide to which of the two forms 
some specimens ought to be referred : no dependence can be placed 
on the presence or absence of pappus. 
The radiant form of var. a appears to be scarce; it is, however, 
not uncommon about Aberdeen. Another form has all the llorets 
elongated, or several rows of them elongated, but is destitute of 
the elongated trumpet-shaped ray which is commonly present in 
var. 3. Var. a bears much the same relation to var. 3 as the C. Jacea 
dues to the 0. serotina of Continental authors mentioned under the 
preceding species. 
Black Knapweed. 
French, Cmtawee Noire. German^ Schuoarze Flockenbkvme. 
