SUN-FLOWER. 367 



SUN-FLOWER. Heliantlms, 



Natural Order Cornpositce OppositifoliiB. Cory mbif era, 

 Juss: a Genus of the Syngenesia Polygamia Frus- 

 tranea Class. 



•* Uplift, proud Sun-flower, to thy favourite orb 

 Tliat ilisk whereon his brig-htness loves to dwell ; 

 And as thou seem'st his radiance to absorb, 

 Proclaim thyself the garden's sentinel." 



Bahton. 



This Peruvian plant has been named Heliantlms, 

 from Hx/o^, the sun, and av^og, a flower, because 

 its magnificent corolla bears a resemblance to the 

 great luminary of day ; and on this account it 

 was used in the religious ceremonies of the an- 

 cient Peruvians who worshipped the god of day. 

 The virgins, who officiated in the Temple of the 

 Sun, being crowned with the Helianthus, made 

 of pure gold, and wearing them also on their 

 breast, and carrying others in their hands, which, 

 reflecting the rays of their deity by the brilliancy 

 of the metal, formed an effect of the most im- 

 posing grandeur. 



The Spaniards, who were amazed at this dis- 



