JTlotoers anto Vofces. 285 



varieties the gold- and silver-leavedare the 

 most desirable, always elegant in the rock-gar- 

 den or flower-border. 



August and September are the months of the 



sunflowers, or Helianthece, named from helios, 



the sun, and anthos, a flower, from the errone- 



ous but common opinion that the flowers always 



turn their faces toward the sun. The appella- 



tion is appropriate, notwithstanding ; for there 



are few brighter, more sun-loving flowers than 



this extensive tribe of the composites. The spe- 



cies grow mostly from four to twelve feet high, 



and are characterized by their large, showy, yel- 



low flowers, the largest being H. annuus, the 



well-known Peruvian annual. The Helianthus is 



coarser than numerous other garden favorites ; 



and while many of the species undoubtedly are 



better adapted for the wild garden, there are 



still a number well deserving a place in the 



flower-border and shrubbery. To combine size, 



hardiness, and luxuriant bloom, one must some- 



times put up with coarseness ; and any weedy 



appearance of the perennial sunflowers is more 



than atoned for by the gayety many of the spe- 



cies impart to the garden at a time when they 



are really required. To the sub-tribe of the 



Helianthece, included in the tribe Aster oidece, 



belong also the Heltopsts, Rudbeckia, Echina- 



