230 FLORA HTSTORICA. 



XERANTHEMUM or IMMORTAL 

 FLOWER. Xeraiithemum. 



Natural Order Composites Discoidea, Corymbifera, 

 Juss : a Genus of the Syngenesia Polygamia Super- 

 jlua Class. 



This plant derives its name from the Greek ^r^^og, 

 dry, and avflo^, a flower, because the petals of the 

 corolla are of a dry chaffy nature, and the flower 

 therefore does not wither when gathered, but is, 

 on this account, admitted into the number of 

 immortal flowers. It forms one of the principal 

 ornaments of the dried bouquets, as the colours 

 vary from white to a bright glossy yellow, whilst 

 others are of a fine lilac or purple, resembling 

 flowers formed of foil and floss silk. 



In their natural state these flowers are single, 

 but the art of the florist has doubled the petals 

 from a single row to eight or ten rows of irre- 

 gular-sized petals, falling over each other like 

 the scales of fish. The seeds are feathered simi. 

 lar to those of the Dandelion, but are set on a 

 flat instead of a globular receptacle. When these 

 flowers are intended to be kept in a dried state, 

 they should be gathered before the seed is ma- 



