132 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 
A large number of these plants are grown in the 
garden, as the various daisies, chrysanthemums, 
cornflowers, sunflowers, aster, zinnia, Ageratum, 
Helichrysum (Immortelle), Dahlia, Tagetes, Calen- 
dula, Arctotis, Echinops. 
The artichoke Cynara is a vegetable, and the 
Cardoon also. Salsify is a good pot-herb and the 
Dandelion, Chicory and Endive are also used. 
Bitter properties are possessed by most composites 
and absinthe is obtained from Wormwood, whilst 
Tansy, Chamomile, Arnica are used medicinally. 
The Jerusalem Artichoke is a Helianthus which 
rarely flowers in this country, being multiplied by 
tubers, which are edible. 
CoitsFooTt (Tussilago Farfara). 
As one of the earliest flowers to bloom, and a wide- 
spread plant, Coltsfoot is well known to everyone. 
It grows in every county in the British Isles as far 
north as Shetland, and is found at an altitude of 
2700 ft. in the Highlands. 
Indicative generally of a heavy soil, usually growing 
on clay, Coltsfoot is found in damp places, on banks 
by the side of a stream, like its near relative Butter 
bur, and a favourite habitat is a railway bank. It 
may also be found on heavy soil in arable fields, but, 
being continually ploughed up, it does not there form 
the dense patches it makes on undisturbed banks or 
amongst grass. 
