TO [ 5 9 9 1
S E R R A T U L A alpina.
Alpine Saw-Wort.
S T N G E N E S IA Poly garnia-aqualh.
G en. Char. Cal. nearly cylindrical, imbricated ; fcales
not pungent.
Spec. Char. Calyx clothed with foft hairs, ovate.
Leaves undivided, cottony beneath.
Syn. Serratula alpina. Linn. Sj>. PI. 1145- Hudf. 349.
With. 696. Hull. 180. Light/. 448. t. 19.
Cirlium humile montanum, Cynogloffi folio, poly-
anthemum. Ran Syn. 193.
/3. C: montanum polyanthemum, Salicis folio an-
gufto denticulato. Raii Syn. 193.
C o m m u n i c a t e d by j . w . Griffith, Efq. from the
higheft rocks of Caemarvonlhire, where it flowers in July and
Auguft. It appears from Mr. Lightfoot’s account not to be
very rare in Scotland, though one of the moll truly alpine of
all our Britilh productions.
The roots are flender, though tough and woody. Stem very
various in height, generally about 10 or 13 inches, Ample,
ilriated, cottony, leafy. Leaves no lefs various in form, generally
ovate; fometimes linear-lanceolate, fometimes almolt
trowel-fhaped; always more or lefs toothed, fmooth above,
cottony beneath; the radical ones on footftalks, thofe on the
Item feffile and alternate. A duller of flowers, each on its own
Ample flower-llalk, terminates the Item. The calyx is imbricated
with foft, blunt, brown, hairy fcales, and contains numerous
purplilh tubular florets with blue antherae. The feed-
down is feathery.
Lightfoot’s flgure, though miferably drawn and engraved,
{hews the mod ufual appearance of this Serratula; Plukenet’s
/. 15 4 . f . 3 , is more dwarf. Dillenius, in Hort. Elth. t. 70,
and the figure in FI. Dan. t. 37, reprefent the narrow-leaved
taller variety 0, as it grows in moill or rich places, or amongft
other tall plants. Notwithllanding Linnaeus’s doubt in Sp. P i.
we are perfuaded, from obfervations made upon the fpot, that
thefe are mere varieties occafioned by local accidents.