Flora Medica

ASTERACEJE.94-9. Doronicum Pardalianches Linn, is reported to be a poisonousplant.CALENDULA.Heads many-flowered. Florets of the ray ligulate, ? ; of thedisk tubular and $ ;the corolla of all hispid at the base. Involucrein few rows, with distinct scales. Receptacle naked, flat. Antherscaudate, subulate, short. Style ending in a knotty hispidcone, bifid at the point; of the ray short, with 2 long slenderstigmas, smooth below, glandular above. Ovary arcuate, fertile.Achaenia produced by the ligulate florets, all without pappus,usually arranged in 2 or 3 rows ;the outer more or less rostrate ;the intermediate truncate at the apex, prickly at the back, moreor less curved, with their sides extended into an entire concaveor flat incised membrane; the innermost annular or incurved,muricated at the back, all (especially the innermost)DC.fertile.950. C. officinalis Linn. sp. pi 1304. Bot. Mag.t. 3204.DC. prodr. vi. 451. Fields in the South of Europe.Root annual, fibrous. Stem about a foot high, with many patent,dichotomous, or sometimes trichotomous branches, striated, green, succulent,hispido-pubescent. Leaves oblong, acute, somewhat succulent,broad, and a little cordate at the base, the margins quite entire, often,as well as here and there upon the surface, hispid with short hairs.Flower-heads large, terminal, solitary upon each branch, of a rich, fullgolden yellow, deeper and brighter previous to their full expansion.Involucre of many nearly equal, appressed, linear-subulate, pilosehispidleaves or scales, not A so long as the radiant florets, the apicesa little recurved. Corollas of the ray ligulate, female tridentate, broadlylinear, the lower tubular portion hairy. Ovary singularly boat-shaped,curved like a horse-shoe, large, green, downy within, having a thickenedmargin, more or less tuberculated on the back. Florets of the centreall tubular, small, male, and consequently sterile; the mouth 5-cleft,base hairy. Abortive ovaries cylindrical, downy, green. Receptacledotted. The heads of fruit have a singular appearance: the centre ordisk is occupied by the closely packed, abortive pistils, and is surroundedby the numerous, large achaenia, which constitute the circumference,and are cyinbiform, with a broad, thickened margin, singularly incurved,within at the base having an elevated lamella, the back furnished with atuberculated ridge ;the inner of these achaenia are more narrow, andhave less margin. Hooker. It was formerly much employed as a carminative;it is chiefly used now to adulterate saffron. 466