S76 FLOllA HISTORICA. 



CHINA ASTER or CHINESE STARWORT. 



Aster Chinemis. 



Natural Order Compositi Radiati, Corymhiferce and 

 Radiatiy Juss: a Genus of the Syngenesia Poly- 

 gamia Super jlua Class. 



" As from a cloud his fulg-ent head. 

 And shape star bright appeared." 



The numerous family of radiated flowers were 

 named Aster, from the Greek 'Ao-t-j^^, a star. The 

 French call this autumnal flower Reine Marguerite, 

 Queen Daisy, and not Queen Margaret, as it is 

 generally translated. Marguerite being their name 

 for " the Star-like Daisy." The Chinese generic 

 term for this flower is Keang nam fa. 



The European parterres are indebted to the 

 missionary, Father dTncarville, for the gay robe 

 which this various coloured flower throws over 

 them, during the latter months of Flora's reign. 

 He having sent the seeds from China to the 

 Royal Garden of Paris about the year 1730, 

 where the plants produced only simple flowers of 

 one uniform colour, but which, through cultivation 



