DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 233 



HELIANTHTJS -Sunflower. 



[From Greek words, signifying Ihe sun and a^ot<;er.] 



" Great Helianthus climbs the upland lawn, 

 And bows in homage to the rising dawn ; 

 Imbibes with eagle eye the golden ray, 

 And watches, as it moves, the orb of day." 



Nothing can be a more complete ideal representative 

 of the sun than the gigantic Sunflower, with its golden 

 rays ; it is dedicated with great propriety to the sun, 

 which it never ceases to adore Avhile the earth is illumi- 

 nated by his light. The whole plant, and particularly the 

 flower, exudes a thin pellucid odorous rosin, resembling 

 Venice turpentine. From the seeds edible oil has been ex- 

 pressed, and they are also excellent food for domestic poul- 

 try." That the flower turns with the sun, is a popular 

 error. It is not true that, when the sun sinks into the 

 west, the flowers of the Helianthus are turned towards 

 him ; or, that when he rises from the east, the flowers are 

 again ready to be cherished by the first influence of his 

 beams. It is a pity to spoil this poetry, but it is all 

 moon-shine. 



Helianthus annuus. — Common Sunflower. — This lordly 

 phmt is too well known to need a description, a plantation 

 of them in some locality, not particularly desirable for any 

 thing else, may be tolerated ; but it should be remembered, 

 that they are great exhausters of the soil. 



The dwarf double varieties are more to be desired ; 

 they grow from two to four feet high, and have very 

 large double flowers ; the tubular florets of the disk being 

 changed into ligular ones, like those in the ray. There 

 are a number of perennial Sunflowers which are indige- 

 nous, tall coarse growing plants, which look pretty in the 

 borders of woods Avhere they are to be found, but not to 

 be tolerated in the garden. 



