HE most numerous as regards 
both species and individuals, and 
the most widely distributed over 
the earth’s surface, are the plants 
with flowers like those of the Daisy—members of 
the Composite family, as it is called. Many families 
of plants are chiefly found in some particular region: 
thus, of one family it will be said “Temperate and 
tropical regions, but chiefly of the Old World”; of 
another, “ Northern temperate and arctic regions” ; of 
another, “ All temperate regions,” and so forth ; but the 
Composites—the Daisy family—are found in all 
regions. The family is split up into as many as 
768 smaller groups (genera), which contain no less 
than 10,000 known species. The name of the family 
is founded upon the fact that what is usually termed 
the flower of any one of its members is really a 
densely-packed assemblage of flowers, so well com- 
pacted that they appear like a single blossom. Asa 
matter of convenience such an inflorescence may be 
mentioned as a Composite flower. 
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