192 SYNGENESIA. 



complete ideal representative of the sun than the gigantic Sun- 

 flower with its golden rays ; it is dedicated with great pro- 

 priety to the sun, which it never ceases to adore, (by turning 

 its disk towards him,) while the earth is illuminated by his 

 light ; when he sinks into the west, the flowers of the Heli- 

 anthus are turning towards him ; and when he rises in the 

 east, the flowers are again ready to be cherished by the first, 

 influence of his beams." Ency. Plants. 



That one of the most elaborate scientific works of the age, 

 written or edited by one of the most learned botanists living, 

 should contain a repetition of this vulgar, but long ago ex- 

 ploded error, is really unaccountable. Nearly all plants incline 

 towards the light, and many flowers, to a certain degree, turn 

 their disks to the sun ; but whoever has taken notice of the 

 " gigantic Sun flower" in this respect, knows certainly, that 

 this is an exception, and that if the several flowers on the 

 same, or on different plants, be examined at any hour in the 

 day, their disks will be found facing in all directions, indis- 

 criminately. Gerard, an old English writer, exposed this 

 error so long ago as 1597 : " The flower of the Sunne," says 

 he, " is called in Latine Flos Solis, taking that name from 

 those who have reported it to turne with the sunne, the 

 which I could never observe although I have endeavored to 

 finde out the truth of it ; but I rather thinke it was so called 

 because it doth resemble the radiant beams of the sunne, 

 whereupon some have called it Corona Solis, and Sol India- 

 nus, the Indian Sun Flower." Gerard is probably right with 

 respect to the name of this flower, and certainly so with re- 

 spect to its turneing with the sunne. 



Of this genus, which contains many species, the gigantic 

 Sun flower, (Helianthus annuus,) is the largest and best 

 known. It is planted as an ornamental border flower, and 

 often attains the height of fifteen feet. Were it a rare and 

 costly plant, it would be highly valued for its uncommon 

 beauty, and indeed common as it is, there are few annual 

 flowers which rival it in symmetry of coloring, and none which 

 our climate affords, in gigantic magnificence. 



The Jerusalem Artichoke, (Helianthus tuberosus,) is a 

 smaller species with a tuberous root. This, before the 

 discovery of the potato, was extensively raised as an article 



What is said of the sun flower's turning with the sun ? 



