The VEGETABLE SYSTEM. 67 
This has not the merit of fo long; continuance in flower as fome of 
O 
the other fpecies of Scabious ; but while in bloom, it is as beautiful as 
almofl any of them. 
22. PINNATIFID STARRY SCABIOUS. 
Plate 37. 
Character of the Species. Scabiofa ftellata 
The Leaves are deeply pinnatifid ; and the Segments cut 
again. 
Pla‘e 37. a b. 
This is an annual, native of Spain, a very beautiful Plant, of two feet 
and a half in heighth, flowering in Auguft. The Stalk is firm, thick 
jointed, of a pale green, upright, and not very much branched : the 
Shoots are afcendant as in our Devilfbit Scabious, fo that there is formed 
a very fine head to the Plant, with their numerous and large Flowers. 
The Leaves are of a pale, and fomewhat greyifh green. The Flowers 
are of a fine pale blueifli crimfon ; and the heads of Seeds, which have 
indeed little lefs beauty than the Flowers themfelves, are of a pale but 
fhining brown. Thefe are very lafting, but the Flowers foon fade. 
The Flowers of this Plant are fometimes redder than they are here 
defcribed, and in that cafe, the general head is rounder and lefs fpread 
at the edge. A Plant of this kind I received two years ago from Por- 
tugal, gathered at the edge of a vineyard, where it flood overfhaded : 
the Footftalks of the Flowers were alfo longer than I had feen them ; 
and the Plant, from all thefe circumftances, had an afped fo different 
from what is ufual, that one lefs accuftomed to Arid: obfervation, might 
eafily have fuppofed it a diftind Species, and have boafted to the 
world a new Plant. Perhaps many of the Scabious’s defcribed by lefs 
accurate authors, and which, from the uncertain defcriptions, one knows 
not whither to refer, were of this kind : the differences in the fame fpe- 
cies are fo great, in refped to the fize of the head, and length of the 
Footflalk, that they give often a very different face to the particular 
Plants ; but this appearance of diftindion, when examined, vanifhes 
into more or lefs, which affords -no real difference, and the Plants 
are always to be diftindly known, for their fpecific charaders remain 
unaltered. I caution the young ftudent particularly in this matter. Let 
I 2 him 
