S 3 Z . C 2 77 ]
C E N T A U R E A Cyanus.
Corn Blue-bottle.
S Y N G E N E S IA Polygamia frußranea.
G en. C har. Recept. briftly. Seed-down fimple. Corolla
of the radius funnel-lhaped, irregular, longer
than thofe of the difk.
Spec. Char. Scales o f the calyx ferrated. Leaves
linear, entire; the lowermoft dentated.
S yn. Centaureg. Cyanus. Linn. Sp. PI. 1289. Hudf.
FI. An. 375. With. Bot.Arr. 944. Relh. Cant. 325.
Sibth. Oxon. 260. Curt. Land. fa ß . 6. t,
Cyanus. Rail Syn. 198,
T H IS is a common weed in corn-fields, flowering about
midfummer, or later, and fufficiently obvious to every body.
Its white or dark-purple varieties, being of rare occurrence,
are admitted into the flower garden, though really lefs beautiful
than the natural (ky-blue of the wild flower,
The root is final! and annual. Stem 2 or 3 feet high, ere£t,
harft), angular, hollow, alternately and copioufly branched,
clothed with fcattered lanceolate leaves, which are of a light
greyift) green, beneath fomewhat cottony, ribbed, entire, the
lower ones only being generally, though not infallibly, toothed ;
but the radical leaves are entire. A folitary flower terminates
each branch, the fcales of whofe calyx are ferrated with brown
indentations. Corollte of the radius bright blue ; thofe of the
dilk fmaller and purplilh. The feeds are fmall and polilhed,
with a fhort wing or crown.
A blue water-colour is eafily prepared from the exprefled
juice of thefe flowers mixed with a little cold alum water. This
blue is however reported to be not permanent. By way of
experiment we have coloured with it the feparate floret at the
bottom of our plate, as we have already found it laft feveral
weeks, and think it may probably be durable enough if not ex-
pofed to light.