DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 233 
HELIANTHUS,—StnFiower. 
[From Greek words, signifying the sun and a flower.] 
“ 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 while 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 4nnuus.—Common Sunflower.—This lordly 
plant 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 anumber of perennial Sunflowers which are indige- 
nous; tall coarse growing plants, which look pretty in the 
borders of woods where they are to be found, but not to 
be tolerated in the garden. 
