210 
BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
is found on moist alpine rocks in Wales and Scotland, and it grows about six or eight inches high. The flowers 
are purple; and the leaves, which are lanceolate and undivided, are downy beneath. The plant is a perennial, 
and it flowers in August. The name of Saussurea is given to this plant in honour of two botanists (father and 
son) named Saussure. 
GENUS XXVII. 
THE PLUME-THISTLE. (Cnicus, Lin.) 
Lin. Syst. SYNGENESIA .EQUALIS. 
Generic Character. —Involucrum ovate, imbricated; scales spiny at the points. Florets all hermaphrodite. Style equal, simple. Receptacle 
paleaceous ; pale* split into bristle-shaped segments. Pappus feathery; hairs collected into a ring at the base. ( Lindley.) 
Description, &c. —This is rather an extensive genus of plants, all of which are herbaceous, and most of 
them spiny. They were formerly included in the genus Carduns , but have been separated on account of their 
pappus being feathery instead of hairy. The name of Cnicus is derived from a Greek word, signifying to prick 
or wound. 
* Leaves decurrent. Stem winged. 
1.—THE SPEAR PLUME-THISTLE. (Cnicus lanceolatus, Willd .) 
Synonymes. —Cirsium lanceolatum, Scopoli ; Eriolepis lanceolata, | Specific Character. —Leaves decurrent, pinnatifid, hispid, with 
Cassini ; Carduus lanceolatus, Lin. variously-spreading spinous lobes. Involucrum ovate, shaggy. Stem 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 107 ; 2nd ed., t. 1115. 1 furrowed, hairy. {Lindley.) 
Description, &c. —This is one of the most common kinds of Thistle, as it is one of the handsomest. The 
stem grows about three or four feet high. The leaves are large, dark green above, and covered with a cottony 
web beneath. They are also armed with strong spines. The flowers are large and purple, and they are produced 
singly. The plant is a biennial, and its flowers expand in July and August. 
THE MARSH PLUME-THISTLE. (C. palustris, Willd.) 
This plant is very common in marshy meadows, where it grows from three to six feet in height, and flowers 
in July. The flowers are either of a deep purple, or white; and the plant is either an annual or a biennial. 
** Leaves sessile, or partially decurrent. Stem not winged. 
2.—-THE DWARF PLUME-THISTLE. (Cnicus acacias, Willd.) 
Synonymes. —Cirsium acaule, Allioni; Onotrophe acaulis, Cas- j Specific Character. —Stalks radical, single-headed, shorter than 
sini ; Carduus acaulis, Lin. 1 the smooth involucrum. {Lindley.) 
Engravings.— Eng. Bot., t. Id ; 2nd ed., t. 1122. 
Description, &c. —This is a very common and troublesome weed in many parts of England where the soil 
is dry. The root is very woody, and the leaves spread close to the ground, so as to form a circle. The plant is 
a perennial, and it produces its reddish-purple flowers in July. 
THE CREEPING PLUME-THISTLE. (C. arvensis, Smith.) 
This is a very frequent and troublesome weed, which it is extremely difficult to eradicate, on account of its 
widely-spreading underground stems. The florets are of a pale purple or whitish. The plant is a perennial, 
and it flowers in July. 
