Seventeen species. Hardy herbaceous perennials. S. tillosa is a biennial. Seeds. Common soil.

S. hispaniea. Common Scorzonera. Though a perennial, yet, for general use, it should be treated as an annual. Sow annually in any open light spot of ground, the latter end of March or beginning of April, not earlier, lest the plants run to seed. Trench the ground, and with the bottom spit turn in a little dung; sow in shallow drills, twelve inches asunder, raking the mould evenly over them half an inch deep. The plants will rise in two or three weeks. When they are a little advanced in growth, let them be thinned and clean-en from weeds by hoeing. Thin the plants to ten inches' distance; they will grow freely, and their roots continue increasing in size till September, when they will have acquired their full size, discoverable by their leaves beginning to decay.

The roots may either remain in the ground, to be drawn as wanted, or taken wholly up in autumn when their leaves decay, and preserved in sand all winter.

To Save Seed

Let some of the plants remain where sown, when they will shoot up in the spring, and produce plenty of seed in autumn.-Abercrombie.