1. Rufsell Del.

Conyza squarrosa. Ploughman's Spikenard. 8

Published by W Baxter. Botanic Garden. Oxford. 1838

W. Willis.so.

CONY'ZA*.

Linnean Class and Order. SYNGENE'SIAT, POLYGA'MIA, SUPERFLUA.

Natural Order. COMPO'SITES, tribe, CORYMBI'FERÆ, Juss. -Lindl. Syn. pp. 140 & 142.; Introd. to Nat. Syst. of Bot. pp. 197 & 199.-Mack. Fl. Hibern. p. 142.-COмPO'SITE; subord. CARDUA CEÆ, Loud. Hort. Brit. pp. 520 & 521.-SYNANTHE'REÆ; tribe, CORYMBI FERE, Rich. by Macgill. pp. 454 & 455.-CORYMBIFERE, sect. 2. Juss. Gen. Pl. pp. 177 & 180.-Sm. Gram. of Bot. pp. 121 & 123.; Engl. Fl. v. iii. p. 334.-SYRINGALES; suborder, ASTEROSE; sect. ASTERINE; subsect. ASTERIANE; type, ASTERACEA; Burn. Outl. of Bot. pp. 900, 901, 920, 924, & 926.COMPO'SITE, Linn.

GEN. CHAR. Involucrum (common calyx) roundish, imbricated; scales acute, rigid, with spreading prominent points, especially the outer ones. Corolla compound, discoid; florets tubular; those of the disk numerous, funnel-shaped, with 5 equal segments, perfect, all fertile (fig. 3.); those of the circumference without stamens, barren, slender, 3-toothed. Filaments (fig. 3.) 5, hair-like, very short. Anthers in a cylindrical tube. Germen (see fig. 3.) oblong. Style (see fig. 3.) thread-shaped, the length of the florets. Stigmas 2, spreading, more slender in the marginal florets. Seed-vessel none. Seed (fig. 4.) oblong. Pappus (see fig. 4.) simple, sessile, rough. Receptacle (see fig. 5.) naked.

The roundish, imbricated involucrum; the 3-toothed florets of the circumference; the rough pappus; and naked receptacle; will distinguish this from other genera, with a discoid corolla, in the same class and order.

One species British.

CONY ZA SQUARRO'SA. Rough Ploughman's Spikenard, Great Fleabane. Montpelier Fleabane,

SPEC. CHAR. Leaves downy, egg-spear-shaped, serrated, the upper ones entire. Stem herbaceous, corymbose. Scales of the involucrum recurved, leafy.

Engl. Bot. t. 1195.-Curt. Brit. Entomol. v. vi. t. 277.-Lin. Sp. Pl. p. 1205.Huds. Fl. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 363.-Willd. Sp. Pl. v. iii. pt. 111. p. 1918.-Sm. Fl. Brit. v. ii. p. 873.; Engl. Fl. v. iii. p. 420.-With. (7th ed.) v. iii. p. 930.—Gray's Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 462.-Lindl. Syn. p. 142.-Hook. Brit. Fl. p. 358.-Lightf. Fl. Scot. v. i. p. 473.-Sibth. Fl. Oxon. p. 251.-Abbot's Fl. Bedf. p. 180.-Davies' Welsh Bot. p. 78.-Purt. Midl. Fl, v. ii. p. 395.-Relh. Fl. Cant. (3rd ed.) p. 339.Hook. Fl. Scot. p. 241.-1. Devon. pp. 137 & 159.-Winch's Fl. of Northumb. and Durham, p. 53.-Walker's Fl. of Oxf. p. 238.-Jacob's West Devon and Cornwall Flora.-Perry's Pl. Varvic. Selectæ, p. 70.-Bab. Fl. Bath. p. 26.-Inula Conyza, Hook. Brit. Fl. (4th ed.) p. 306.-Baccharis monspeliensium, Ray's Syn. p. 179.--Johnson's Gerarde, p. 792.

Fig. 1. A Floret, with its pappus.-Fig. 2. A Floret without its pappus.—Fig. 3. Stamens and Pistil.-Fig. 4. A Seed crowned with the pappus.-Fig. 5. Receptacle.-Figs. 2 & 3. slightly magnified.

From konops, Gr. a gnat; the plant having been supposed to possess the virtue of driving away insects. HOOKER,

LOCALITIES. In mountainous meadows and pastures, by road-sides, and in woods, on a chalky or limestone soil. Common in England; rare in Scotland; the only habitat recorded is "near Blair, in Athol," and that with a mark of doubt. Not noticed at all in Mr. MACKAY'S Flora Hibernica.

Biennial. Flowers in September and October.

Root tapering, fleshy, simple at the crown, but much branched below. Stems upright, 2 or 3 feet high, somewhat angular, downy, often purplish, leafy; terminating in a corymbose, leafy, manyflowered panicle. Leaves elliptic spear-shaped, irregularly crenated, woolly on both sides, veiny, radical ones large, tapering at the base into bordered footstalks; uppermost ones often entire. Flowers numerous, dull yellow. Peduncles short, woolly. Bracteas spear-shaped, small, one on each peduncle. Scales of the Involu crum strap-spear-shaped, numerous, imbricated, the lower green, the upper yellowish, their points green and recurved. Seeds small, blackish, furrowed. Pappus sessile, as long as the involucrum. Receptacle tubercled.-Whole herb soft and downy, bitter and somewhat aromatic, with a portion of mucilage.

The root-leaves greatly resemble those of Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea, t. 113), but when rubbed, they are readily distinguished by their aromatic scent. The name of Flea-bane, more properly Fly-bane, has been applied to this plant, from its fanied power of keeping off insects, especially flies, and of destroying fleas; but the genus Erigeron (see t. 166.) is the real Fly-bane, some of its viscid species, dipped in milk, being used in the south of Europe to catch the various little winged insects, so troublesome in warm climates.

WANDERINGS IN JUNE.

"How strange a scene has come to pass
Since Summer 'gan its reign!

Spring flowers are buried in the grass,
To sleep till Spring again;

Her dew-drops Evening still receives
To gild the Morning hours;

But dew-drops fall on open'd leaves,
And moisten stranger-flowers.

The artless daisies' smiling face

My wanderings find no more;

The king-cups that supplied their place,
Their golden race is o'er;

And clover-heads, with ruddy bloom,
That blossom where these fell,
Ere Autumn's fading mornings come
Shall meet their grave as well.

The open flower, the loaded bough,
The fields of spindling grain,
Were blooming then the same as now,
And so will bloom again :
When with the past my being dies,
Still Summer suns shall shine,
And other eyes shall see them rise

When death has darkened mine.

Reflection, with thy mortal shrouds
When thou dost interfere,
Though all is gay, what gloomy clouds
Thy musings shadow here!

To think of Summers yet to come
That I am not to see!

To think a weed is yet to bloom

From dust that I shall be !"

JOHN CLARE.