autumn. The species had been cultivated at Vienna in 
1805, by Dr. Host, to whom the seed had been sent by M. 
Marschall of Bieberstein. It is only when the plant grows 
in perfection that the panicled character of the stem is dis- 
played. Seems to be hardy. 
Root biennial. Stems six feet high, herbaceous, se- 
veral from the same rootstock, upright, thick at the lower 
part, furrowed, pubescent, purplish, full of branches, 
branches level-topped. Leaves alternate, spreading, ses- 
sile, stemclasping, lower ones a foot and an halt long, 
upper ones gradually smaller, squarrosely pinnatifid, deep 
green above and very thinly furred with short transparent 
hairs, smooth, shining, especially the young and stem ones, 
_ underneath glaucous tomentose, with white prominent hairy 
nerves, lobes 4 or 5 on each side, sinuated, sharp-pointed, 
in the stem-leaves broadly decurrent towards the base, ulti-— 
mately diminishing towards the lower part, till they have 
the appearance of the spinous appendages of a half foot 
long channelled petiole. lowers in globular heads of about 
2 inches in diameter. General involucre none, unless you 
choose to denominate the persistent bristles belonging to the 
calyxes of the lower florets such. Jorets furnished through- 
out with stamens and pistils.. Calyaw viscous, inclining to 
glaucous, surrounded by a partial bristly involucre, 12-14- 
leafletted, imbricate, oblong, leaflets upright, spatulately 
lanceolate, all long-pointed, glaucous, inclining to brown 
at the base, ciliated at the top, cilize or fringe feathery; 
outer ones furred towards the top by thin-set headed hairs, 
inner ones smooth. florets tubular, blueish white, smooth ; 
tube cylindrical, the length of the involucre; faux globular; 
limb blueish; segments linear, two-furrowed, reflected. 
Filaments \oose, springing from the bottom of the faux: 
anther cylindrical, pentagonal, blue, almost colourless after 
‘the pollen has been evacuated. Germen reversedly conical, 
closely and. flat-pressedly villous, crowned at the top by a 
close brown fringe: style after the evacuation of the pollen 
longer than the stamens: stigma bifid; lobes reflex, the 
length of the anther, ciliated or fringed at the base. Seed 
oblong, smooth, with a margined pappus or seed-crown. 
Receptacle naked, punctured. ; 
a 
