and sharply toothed, acute; the cauline few and sessile; involucre small,
slightly bracteolate, smooth and blackish-green, of few scales in about 2
series; pappus gray and scabrous; achenia not attenuate at the summit;
flowers white? Nutt, in trans. Amer.phil. soc. (n. ser.) 7. p. 447.
St. Barbara, California, Nuttall.—This plant is unknown to us; and only
a single specimen was collected.
189. NAB ALUS. Cass. diet. 34. p. 94 (1825); Hook.Jl. Bor.-Am. 1 .p. 293.
Harpalyce, Dim (1829), not of DC.—Species of Prenanthes, Linn.
Heads several-(5-30-) flowered. Involucre cylindrical, of 5-14 linear
scales in a single series, and calyculate with several short accessory scales.
Receptable naked. Branches of the style much exserted. Achenia linear-
oblong, cylindraceous, striate or grooved, smooth, not contracted at the apex.
Pappus of copious straw-color or brownish scabrous capillary bristles, somewhat
fragile.—Perennial (North American) herbs; the erect leafy stem
arising from a fusiform simple or branched tuber, which is extremely bitter
to the taste. Leaves entire, or variously lobed. Head racemose or paniculate,
usually nodding. Flowers whitish, ochroleucous, cream-color, or
purplish.
§ 1 . Heads pendulous: involucre calyculate, few-several-flowered, glabrous
(rarely more or less hairy). (Leaves very variable in the same species.)
1 . N. albus (Hook.): nearly glabrous, slightly glaucous, stem corymbosely
paniculate at the summit (usually purplish); leaves angulate-hastate, irregularly
toothed, sinuate-incised, or sometimes either palmately or somewhat
pinnately 3- 5-lobed or parted (the lobes or undivided leaves mostly obtuse,
mucronate); the lower petioled; the uppermost usually oblong, subsessile;
heads in short spreading racemes or panicles, somewhat eorymbose; involucre
(glaucous and usually purplish) of about 8 scales, 8- 12-flowered; pappus
deep cinnamon-color.—N. albus & N. serpentarius, Hoolc. 1. c. (in part, and
as to syn.) N. suavis, DC..' 1. c. N. trifoliolatus, Cass, in diet. sci. nat.
34. p. 95. Prenanthes alba, Linn.! hort. Cliff, p. 383, Sy spec. 1. c. (excl.
p .) ; Michx.! fl. 2. p. 83; Bot. mag. t. 1079; Pursh, l. c .; Bigel. fl. Bost.
ed. 2. p. 286 (partly); Darlingt.fi. Cest. p. 444 (partly). P. suavis,
Salisb. parad. Lond. t. 85. P. rubicunda, Willd.! spec. 3. p. 1537 {ex
herb.), excl. syn. P. Miamensis? ovata, & proteophylla, Riddell, l. c.
Chondrilla alba, Lam,.
p. Serpentaria: cauline leaves on slender petioles, deeply sinuate-pinna-
tifid or 3-part ed, the terminal lobe 3-cleft, often sparsely ciliate with rough
hairs.—Prenanthes Serpentaria, Pursh, fl. 2. p. 499, t. 24. Harpalyce Serpentaria,
Dm, in Edinb. new. phil. journ. 6. p. 305 ; Beck, l. c.
Open grounds and borders of woods, Newfoundland ! Canada! and Northern
States ! to the Upper Mississippi! and the Mountains of the Southern States!
Aug.-Sept.—A stouter plant than N. altissimus; the stem sometimes spotted.
Leaves very variable, pale beneath; the margins mostly somewhat scabrous
and ciliate. Heads half an inch or more in length. Achenia scarcely striate.
Corolla white or ochroleucous, sometimes tinged with purple.— White Lettuce.
Lion’s Foot. Rattlesnake-root.
2. N. altissimus (Hook.): glabrous or nearly so ; stem virgate; leaves
(membranaceous) all petioled, either undivided or the lower palmately 3-5-
cleft, parted, or even divided; the lobes or leaves acuminate, repandly
toothed or denticulate ; heads in small axillary and terminal clusters, forming
an elongated virgate panicle ; involucre slender (greenish), of 5 scales,
5-6-flowered ; pappus dirty white, or straw color.—Hook.! fl. Bor.-Am. 1 .
ji.2 9 4 ; DC. prodr. 7. p. 241 (ex syn.) (N. albus & N. serpentarius,
Hook. 1. c., at least in part, fide spec.!) Sonchus elatus, <tec. Pluk. ! aim.
t. 317, ƒ. 2. Prenanthes altissima, Linn.* spec. ed. 2. p. 1121 (ex char. &
syn. Pluk.) ; Pursh, fl. 2. p. 498; Ell. sk. 2. p. 256. P. parviflora, R id dell,
syn. Western plants, p. 50. Chondrilla altissima, Lam. diet. 2. p. 78.
Harpalyce altissima, Beck, bot. p. 167.
P. ovatus: cauline leaves nearly all ovate, abruptly contracted into
winged petioles.
y. cordatus: leaves mostly cordate, on slender petioles.—N. cordatus,
Hook. 1. c. Prenanthes cordata, Willd.! hort. Berol: t. 25 ; Pursh, l. c ;
Ell. 1. c.
<5. deltoideus: leaves deltoid, strongly repand-toothed ; the upper often
cordate, on margined petioles; the radical and lowest cauline triangular-
hastate, sometimes 3-parted.—N. deltoideus & N. cordatus! DC. 1. c.
Prenanthes deltoidea, E ll.! sk. 2. p. 257.
e. dissectus : leaves all 3-parted or divided; the segments either entire or
deeply 2-3-cleft; the lobes narrowly lanceolate or linear.
Woods, Newfoundland! Canada! and Northern States! to Kentucky!
and the mountains of Georgia ! Aug.-Sept.—Stem 3-5 feet high, rather
slender, either simple or sparingly paniculate at the summit, sometimes
pubescent below, as well as the midrib and margins of the leaves. Corolla
yellowish or greenish-white.—A well-marked species, notwithstanding the
extremely variable foliage, of which we have enumerated the most striking
forms. &
3. N. Fraseri (DC.! 1. c .): glabrous or slightly puberulent; stem corymbose
paniculate at the summit; leaves mostly deltoid, usually somewhat
scabrous, variously and often pinnately 3-7-lobed, and contracted into winged
or margined petioles (the lobes short and mostly sinuate-denticulate); the
upper subsessile, oblong-lanceolate, often undivided; racemes paniculate;
involucre (greenish or slightly tinged with purple,) either glabrous or with a
few scattered hairs, of about 8 scales, 8—12-flowered ; pappus straw-color.——
N^tfilobatus, Cass, in diet. sci. nat. 1. c. ? N. Fraseri, N. trilobatus & N.
serpentarius p. ? DC.! I, c. Prenanthes folio scabro inciso . . . floribus dilute
luteis, &c., Clayl. ! in Gronov. fl. Virg. 3. p. 133. P. rubicunda, Pursh,
fl. 2. p. 499, excl. syn. P. alba, Ell. sk. 2. p. 259.
. P- integrifolius: leaves thickish, lanceolate-oblong, acute or obtuse, denticulate,
or sharply and irregularly toothed; involucre often somewhat hairv.
—N. integrifolius, Cass. 1. c .; DC. ! 1. c. J
y. barbaius: leaves thickish, lanceolate or oblong, mostly sessile; the
upper often somewhat auriculate-clasping, sinuate-toothed or nearly entire ;
racemes paniculate ; involucre (12-15-flowered) hirsute when young with
long purplish hairs!—Prenanthes crepidinea, Ell. sk. 2. p. 259, not of
Michx. -
Dry sterile or sandy soil, from Florida! and Alabama! to New
York ! Connecticut! and Newfoundland ? p. Long Island, New York ! and
North Carolina! y. Saluda Mountains of Carolina, Dr. Macbride. Alabama,
Mr. Buckley! ’Sept.-Oct— Stem 1-4 feet high, usually much
branched : the leaves exceedingly variable. Flowers cream-color or ochroleucous.—
This species, most abundant in the Southern States (where it is
* The specimens of Prenanthes altissima and P. alba are evidently transposed in
the Linnaean herbarium! r
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