composiTjE. 295 



• 



A considerable genus, extending over Europe, northern and central Asia, 

 and northern Africa. It has been divided by modern botanists into a num- 

 ber of small genera, founded upon minute, ahnost microscopical, characters, 

 laaving little relation to general habit. Among them Pyrethrum has been 

 the most generally adopted, although botanists are but little agreed as to 

 the characters or species which shoidd be assigned to it. 



Eay yellow 2. Com C. 



Eay white. 



Leaves toothed only 1. Oxeye C, 



Leaves pinnate. 



riower-heads in corymbs. Segments of the leaves pinnatilid and 



toothed 3. Feverfew C. 



Flower-heads on terminal peduncles. Leaves 2 or 3 times pin- 

 nate, with narrow-linear or filiform lobes 4. Scentless C. 



The old yellow and ivMte Chrysanthemums of our cottage gardens belong 

 to a north African species (C. coronarium). The late autumnal flowers now 

 so generally cultivated, under the name of Chrysanthemums, are varieties of 

 the C. indicum from China. 



1. Oxeye Chrysauthemam. Chrysanthem'ain Xjeucantheiuuni,Lim:i. 



(Eng. Bot. t. 601. Oxeye Daisy.) 



A perennial, with erect, simple or slightly branched stems, 1 to 2 feet 

 high, glabrous or shghtly downy. Radical leaves obovate and coarsely 

 toothed, on long stalks ; stem-leaves narrow, sessile, with a few coarse teeth. 

 Flower-heads solitary on long terminal peduncles, and rather large. Invo- 

 lucral bracts bordered by a brown, scarious edge. Florets of the ray white, 

 more than half an inch long ; those of the disk numerous, small, and yellow. 



In pastiu^s, on banks, etc., throughout Europe and Russian Asia, from 

 the Mediterranean to the Arctic Circle. Extends all over Britain. Fl. sum- 

 mer, commeneinff in spring. 



2. Com Cbrysanthemum. Chrysantlieniuiii seeretum, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 540. Corn Marigold.) 



A glabrous, erect annual, about a foot high or rather more, with spread- 

 ing branches. Lower leaves obovate and stalked ; upper ones narrow and 

 stem -clasping, generally with a few deeply cut teeth at the top. Flower- 

 heads rather large, on terminal peduncles ; the involucral bracts broadly 

 scarious ; the florets of the ray as well as the disk of a deep golden-yellow. 



A cornfield weed, probably of Mediterranean origin, but now common aU 

 over Europe, except the extreme north. Abundant in Britain. Fl. summer 

 and autumn. 



3. Feverfe've Chrysantliemiun. Chrysaxxthemuiii Parthenium, Fers. 

 (Pyrethrum. Eng. Bot. t. 1231.) 



Stock perennial, shortly branched ; the flowering stems erect, branching, 

 a foot high or rather more. Leaves pinnate ; the segments ovate or oblong, 

 pinnatifid and toothed. Flower-heads numerous, about half an inch in dia- 

 meter, in a terminal corymb ; the florets of the ray white, ovate or oblong, 

 those of the disk numerous and yellow. Achenes crowned by a miiiute 

 toothed border. 



On roadsides, and in waste places, in central and southern Europe to the 

 Caucasus, and spread from cultivation much further north, as well as to 

 many other parta of the globe. Dispersed over a great part of Britain, but 



