Centaurea Cyanus. Corn Blue-Bottle. 
CENTAUREA. Linn. Gen. P I. Syngenesia Polygamia Frustranea. 
Receptaculum fetofum. Puppies fimplex. Cor. radii infundibuli- 
formes, longiores, irregulares. 
Rah Syn. Gen. g. Herba: flore ex flosculis fistularibus composito, 
sive capitata:. 
CENTAUREA Cyanus calycibus ferratis, foliis linearibus integerrimis : infimis dentatis. Lina. Syfl. 
Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 785. Sp. P/. ed. 3. p. 1289. FI. Suec. n. 776. Lightfoot FI. 
Scot. v. 2. p. 499. Blue-bonnets. Scot. Aujl. Hudf. FI. Angi. ed. 2. p. 375. 
CYANUS foliis imis ellipticis, dentatis, fupremis linearibus, femiflofculis latiffimis. Flaller FUJI. n. 191. 
CENTAUREA Cyanus. Scop. FI. Carn. 2. p. 138. 
CYANUS fegetum. Bauh. Pin. 273. 
CYANUS vulgaris. Ger. Herb. p. 592. 
CYANUS minor vulgaris diverforum colorum. Park. The at. />.481. Rail. Syn. ed. 3. p. 198. Blue-bottles. 
RADIX annua, fubfufiformis, lignofa, fibrofa. 1 
CAULIS ereflus, bi-tripedalis, fubangulatus, tomento ' 
araneofo veflitus, fiftulofus, ramofus ; Rami ' 
ere£li, caule altiores. 
FOLIA caulina alterna, feffilia, linearia, 3 ad 5 nervia, 
acuta, pagina fuperior alba, tomentofa, infe- 
rior viridis, nudiufcula, infima radicalia in ( 
adolefcenti planta multo latiora, obtufiora, ^ 
et fubintegra, iis proxima plus minufve den- ; 
tata, aut laciniata. 
FLORES laste cserulei, inodori ; Pedunculi fimplices, 
fu perne incraffati. 
CALYX communis fubrotundus, imbricatus, fquamis J 
lanceolatis, interioribus longioribus, integris, , 
fuperne rufefeentibus, apice fibris fufcefcenti- 
bus ciliatis; exterioribus brevioribus, ferratis, 
ferraturis reflexis. 
COROLLA compofita, flofculofa, difformis, Corollula ( 
hermaphrodita: plurimas in difeo,^. 2. feminece ) 
pauciores, majores, laxas in radio, Jig. 1 . S 
propr. hermaph. i-petala, tubo filiformi, obii- <| 
quo, limbo ventricofo, oblongo, ere£lo, ter- () 
minato laciniis 5-linearibus, ereftiufcujis, $ 
femineis 1 -petala, tubo tenui, fenfim ampli- $ 
ato, recurvo, limbo oblongo, inaequaliter ? 
divifo, fubplicato, laciniis lanceolatis. s 
STAMINA hermaphroditis : Filamenta 5, capillaria, | 
breviffima; Anthera cylindracea, tubulata, § 
corolla paulo longior. | 
PISTILLUM hermaphroditis : Germen parvum; Sty- 5 
lus filiformis, longitudine flaminum; Stig- § 
ma obtufilfiinum, acumine bifido prominens./ 6 
Femineis: Germen minimum; Stylus vix * 
ullus ; Stigma nullum. $ 
SEMINA hermaphroditis folitaria ; Pappus fetaceus, a 
fis- 3 - 8 
ROOT annual, fomewhat fpindle-fliaped, woody, and 
fibrous. 
STALK upright, two or three feet high, fomewhat 
angular, covered with a kind of cobwebby 
down, hollow, branched; the Branches up- 
right, taller than the flalk. 
LEAVES of the flalk alternate, feffile, linear, from 
three to five-ribbed, pointed, the upper fide 
white, and cottony, the underfide green, with 
fcarcely any cottony fubflance, the lowermoft 
radical leaves in the young plant much 
broader, blunter, and for the moll part entire, 
the next to them more or lefs toothed or 
jagged. 
FLOWERS of a bright blue colour and fcentlefs ; 
. Flower-Stalks Ample, thickened above. 
CALYX common to all the florets, nearly round, imbri- 
cated, feales lanceolate, the inner ones longeft, 
entire, reddifh above, fringed at top with little 
brownifh fibres ; the outer ones fhorter, fer- 
rated, the teeth reflexed. 
COROLLA compound, flofculofe, mifhapen ; the 
hermaphrodite florets in the centre numerous, 
fig. 2. the female florets in the circumference 
fewer, larger, and loofe, fig. 1. each Jingle 
hermaphrodite floret monopetalous, the tube 
filiform, oblique, the limb bellying, oblong, 
upright, terminating in five linear nearly up- 
right fegments, the female florets monopeta- 
lous, the tube flender, gradually enlarging 
and bent back, the limb oblong, unequally 
divided, fomewhat folded, the fegments lan- 
ceolate. 
STAMINA of the hermaphrodite flowers: Filaments 
five, capillary, veryfhort; Anthers form- 
ing a cylindrical tube, a little longer than the 
corolla. 
PISTILLUM of the hermaphrodite flowers: Germen 
fmall ; Style filiform, the length of the fla- 
mina ; Stigma very blunt, with a prominent 
bifid point. Of the Female flowers : Germen 
very minute; Style fcarcely any; Stigma 
none. 
SEEDS from the hermaphrodite florets, folitary ; Pap- 
pus or Down briflly. Jig. 3. 
Few of the vegetable tribes are more hardy than the Corn Blue-Bottle ; its feedling plants, which come up 
abundantly in Autumn, brave the fevereft frofts. 
The radical leaves are entire, thofe which follow ufually toothed, fometimes deeply, jagged, hence foliis infe- 
rioribus dentatis, would be more proper than infimis. 
We have reprefented a feedling plant, as it appears in the Spring ; when the plant flowers, it lofes in common 
with many others its radical leaves, and with them part of its fpecinc chara£ier. 
It grows abundantly in mofl of our corn-fields, which it enlivens by the brilliancy of its flowers during the 
months of June and July : the hufbandman views it as a pernicious weed requiring his greatell. care to eradicate, 
as it is not only very injurious to his corn, but blunts the fickles ufed in reaping it, whence its name of hurt- 
fickle found in fome old authors. 
Though a troublefome weed, agriculturally confidered, the beauty of its flowers has recommended it to the 
garden, m which it is now regularly fown, as an ornamental plant, with other annuals, and appears with a 
great diverfity of colours. 
A fine blue for colouring is faid to have been extrafted from the bloflbms of this plant ; we fhould flrongly 
fufpeft the durability of colour fo obtained: the blue ufed by my artills in colouring its outermofl petals is 
called azure blue, and may be had, by fuch as find a difficulty in obtaining good colours, of Mr. William 
Graves, Newington, Surrey, principal colourer of this work, whofe unwearied care to do juftice to his 
employer, has contributed not a little to advance the reputation both of the Flora Londinenfis and Botanical 
Magazine. 
