COMPOSIT.E. 403 



!ArrcKonriT>'cnrs, Lisslng. 



Achems columnar, ti-imcatc at both cuds, bluntly 4-5-nbbcil, sometimes narrowly 

 2-3-wmged. Florets yellow. 



M. (PREXAXinEs) ACAULis, Roxb. All over Burma. 



M. glaber, Wight. 



Leaves narrow, slightly-lobed or entire. Flowering stems erect. Achenes 

 strongly 4-5-ribbed, the ribs smooth. 



M. (Pben-ixihes) asi'Lexiifolius, Eoxb. Pegu in fields and the bed of the 



Irrawaddy. 



Leaves pinnatifid with the lobes all rounded. Flowering stems divaricate and 

 much dichotomously branched. Achenes strongly 10-12 ribbed, the ribs transversely 

 ■wrinkled. 



This huge Order embraces nearly a tenth of the Cotylcdonous plants; but its value 

 to man bears no proportion to its size, as it yields nothing which can be considered 

 of importtince. Among its most useful products may bo enumerated Cichnrium infybm, 

 or chicory, so largely used as a substitute for coft'ee, and C. enditia or endive. 

 Taraxacum ojficiiia//!, dandelion' (called also Pksabed by nursemaids and children, 

 from the supposed results of little chihken handling the plant), a valuable tonic 

 in hepatic complaints and dyspepsia, and the leaves of which form a wholesome 

 addition to salad. Laduca sativa, the common lettuce, the inspissated juice of which 

 possesses narcotic properties, and which may in some cases be advantageously substi- 

 tuted for opium. Soiic/ius, or sow-thistles, which rabbits and cattle eat, and which 

 in India are dressed as a pot-herb. All these belong to the tribe Cichoraciem. 



The tribe C'l/naroidieie yields various thistles, as C'ardims benedictus, the Blessed- 

 thistle, so called from its supposed alexiphavmic powers. Centaurea ci/anus, the corn- 

 flower, once used to form an eye-water. Ci/nara curdiaiCHlus and C. scohjmus, 

 respectively the Cardoon and common artichoke. Curthmnus iinclorim, the safflower, 

 so largely cultivated for its valuable red dye, and Scrrdtiile tinctoria, which yields 

 a yellow one. 



In the tribe Calenduliea occurs that common flower in every Indian gard(?n, 



Calendula officinalis, the marigold. This name has no reference to Mary, but is 



derived from Merse mear gealla ' Marsh, horse gowl,' or marsh marigold, Caltha 



paludris, whence the name was transferred to the garden plant. — Prior, Popular 



Names of British Plants, p. 118. 



Another tribe, Senecionidica, embraces Tussilngo farfara, or colt's-foot (so calle(l 

 from the shape of the leaves), which is used in compounding a sweetmeat, used for 

 slight colds, but really inert, and Arnica montana, a nervine tonic, and favourite 

 homccopathic medicine, which owes its power to an alkaloid, Ctjsticine, which it 

 contains. The tribe Anihemidiece erabi'aces Artemisia absinthium, once in vogue as an 

 anthelmintic, but now chiefly used for flavouring a pernicious liqueur, much esteemed 

 on the Continent. A. abrotanum, or old man, as it is termed from its sujjposed 

 invigorating properties, and A. dracunculus, or Tarragon, used to give flavour to 

 vinegar. 



The tribe JTclianthoidiece contains some useful plants, Jlelianfhus annuus, or the 

 common sunflower, and JI. tuberosus, the tubers of \vhich constitute Jerusalem arti- 

 chokes. The word Jerusalem is, however, a mere corruption of the Italian name 

 Girasole, or ' turn sun,' from an erroneous idea that tiic ITelianthus (.sunflower) 

 turns towards the sun, an idea which has taken inveterate possession of the ])opular 

 mind. The true origin of the term sunflower is the resemblance which its lusty disk 

 ■with radiant yellow petals bears to the pictorial reiiresentations of the sun. The seeds 

 of the sunflower are rich in oil, and are worth cultivating as oil-seeds. 



' The following simple recipe is ■worth knowing : Take a (jnantity of fresh danjehon roots, wash 

 them well, and slice up and hniise in a mortar, then express the juice tlirou;;h a cloth and add one-third 

 the amount of nctitiid spirit, or ii;ood hrandy, and lilter. One or two teaspoonfuls of tills mixture threo 

 times a day is an excellent tonic in hepatic derauijumeuts. 



