32 ComposiTz. 
Composir# (Daisy Famtty). 
Flowers small (florets), in heads like single flowers, with ray and disc 
florets (daisy), or with disc florets only (thistle), or with ‘‘ray’’ florets 
only (hawkweed). i 
Composite form the largest natural order of flowering plants, and 
although the order includes a few plants of economic value, our most 
troublesome weeds also belong to it. The plants are annual or perennial 
herbs, occasionally shrubby, and one gigantic Groundsel (Senecio John- 
stoni, Oliver) attains the dimensions of a tree in Africa. Fortunately the 
seed of the whole order appear to be short-lived, none so far as is known 
lasting for more’than ten years, and most losing the power of germination 
within one to three years in the soil. 
Anthemis Cotula, L. The Stinking Mayweed or Fetid Chamomile. A 
native of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is common on roadsides, waste 
places, and if allowed to seed freely is apt to spread into pastures and 
cornfields, and becnme troublesome. It is especially abundant along manv 
stock roads, where travelling stock continually eat off the pasture plants, 
and so give them no chance to keep down the Mayweed. The plant is 
obnoxious to stock on account of its unpleasant flavour, and if eaten by 
them in time of scarcity is apt to give their flesh, milk, or butter an un- 
pleasant flavour. 
The plant is an annual, a foot or more in height, with glandular dots, 
and with one or more daisy-like heads on long, furrowed stalks, but 
dwarfed on dry, exposed roadsides and waste places. The leaves are much 
divided, especially the lower ones. There are a few linear-pointed scales 
between the minute flowers on each head, and the latter lengthens out during 
flowering. Ray florets, white, and with no style, inner bracts of the head 
with scaly tips, seed-like fruits, rough, with glandular dots. It seeds 
freely, but is easily kept under by ploughing and cleanly cultivation, en- 
couraging the seeds to germinate, and then destroving the seedlings by 
working the soil. The stouter pasture grasses, clovers, and trefoils will 
keep it down on pasture land if not grazed too closely. Infested stock 
roads should be narrowed to the breadth of the paved track, and the sides 
ploughed and cultivated alternately. It would pay in most cases to allow 
the landholder to take in the wasted border on condition of cleaning it, and 
keeping it clean. 
The Stinking Mayweed has recently been proclaimed for the Shires of 
Maldon and Orbost, at the request of the local Councils. 
The wild Chamomile, Matricaria discoidea, D.C., has also appeared, 
but is less objectionable, and is fairly common. 
Bellis perennis, L. The common Daisy. May prove troublesome in poor 
pastures. It is best kept down by manuring the pasture, and encouraging a 
strong growth of herbage. On lawns it is best removed by loosening the 
soil, and pulling up after rain. If cut out, the parts Jeft in the soil often 
shoot again. ; 
Arctium Lappa, 1. The Burdock. A native of Europe. It is easily 
distinguished from Thistles by the large lower leaves, often more than 
a foot square in area. The bracts on the head have hooked ends, so that 
the burr-like heads adhere to passing animals, the large, seed-like fruits 
each with a tuft of stiff hairs, ultimately falling to the ground.* It is a 
comparatively recent introduction, undoubtedly brought with impure agri- 
cultural seed, but is likely to spread. The plant is a biennial, often five 
"The prickly heads have been used to attach advertisements to passers by,,a doubly objectionable | 
practice. 
