HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS 



By the REV. H. PUREFOY FITZGERALD, F.L.S. 



With Photographs by HENRY IRVING 



THE FLOWERS OF THE CORNFIELDS 



CORN MARIGOLD 



0\E of the most conspicuous amongst 

 the cornfield flowers is the yeUow 

 Ox-eye Daisy {Chrysanthemum 

 segetiim). It is a plant that cannot well 

 be mistaken for anything else, the bright 

 yellow, daisy-hke flower, about two inches 

 across, will be sufficient for its identi- 



CORN MARIGOLD. 



fication. The Marigold is a troublesome 

 weed to the farmer, coming up, as it 

 does very frequently, in large numbers 

 amongst the corn. In height it is 

 usually about twelve inches, sometimes 

 more ; the lower leaves are stalked, 

 whilst the upper leaves clasp the stem, 

 and generally they all have a few 

 coarsely cut teeth at the 

 top. An examination of 

 the flower will soon reveal 

 that the Marigold is one of 

 the composite plants, in 

 wliich the flowers consist of 

 a large number of small 

 florets collected into one 

 head. This plant is to be 

 found in flower from June 

 to September. Another well- 

 known member of the genus 

 is the white Ox-eye Daisy 

 {Chrysanthemum leucanthe- 

 mum) ; this, however, has a 

 far more extending range of 

 gi-owth. It is to be found 

 chiefly growing in pastures 

 or grassy banks, and in rail- 

 way cuttings, and so cannot 

 strictly be described as a 

 cornfield flower. The florets 

 of the ray in this species 

 are white, and the disk only 

 is yellow ; the stems are 

 hard and furrowed, while 

 the leaves are narrow and 

 coarsely toothed. In the 

 north of England and Scot- 

 land the common Daisy is 

 culled the " Gowan " (sig- 

 nilying golden), .and the Ox- 

 eye Daisy is termed the 

 " Horse gowan " ; in Eng- 

 land other common local 



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