17 
THE DAISY. 
BY MRS. LANKESTER. 
T HERE are few plants which excite more general interest 
than the daisy. Growing extensively throughout the 
continent of Europe, its true home may, nevertheless, be said 
to be in the British islands. The very name speaks for itself ; 
the “ day’s eye,” as Chaucer, our old English poet, has it — 
“ The daisie, or els the eye of daie.” 
The daisy, botanically known as Beilis perennis, belongs to 
the natural order Compositce, of which it may be taken as a 
type. Possibly, to those who know nothing of the general 
structure of this order, the daisy may present some difficulties, 
and it will, therefore, be preferable, in the first instance, to 
employ a larger flower of the same order for observation. The 
Sun-flower, the French Marigold, or the Ox-eye Daisy form good 
examples. First let us consider the flower-head, surrounded as 
it is with a bright green cup, or involucre, and having the 
appearance of a single flower, called by old writers a compound 
flower, with a common calyx. It is in fact, however, a number 
of florets situated on a common head, or receptacle, the en- 
larged summit of the peduncle, or flower-stalk, is, as it were, 
expanded at the top, to admit of the introduction of the 
flowers. Thus, in a raceme, or long stalk of florets, they are 
situated at the sides of the flower-stalk. Were it possible to 
convert this into a composite flower, it would be done by push- 
ing it down, as it were, until it spread out in every direction ; 
the florets would then be fixed upon the expanded stalk now 
forming a receptacle. In the Composite e, the receptacle is 
usually covered with chaffy scales, or hairs, which form 
interesting’ objects under the microscope. The involucre 
surrounds the receptacle, and consists of a number of bright 
green bracts, in some cases adhering together at the edges, 
in other cases distinct. Within this involucre are placed 
the florets, which are either all ligulate, that is, flat, linear, 
or oblong, forming only a short tube at the base, or the flowers 
are all tubular, or else the central flowers are all tubular and 
the outer ones all ligulate. In each floret the calyx is attached 
to the top of the ovaiy, and assumes the form of long feathery 
hairs, or pappus, as it is called, which, when the florets dry, 
no. i. c 
