THE SUNFLOWER COUSINS 
is found that this is not a single flower but a group of 
them. 
Another member of the group, not quite so approach¬ 
able, is the thistle. Its bloom is not yellow like that of 
most of its relatives — a fact which might lead to an im¬ 
pression that it does not belong here. Then, too, it is 
much in the form of a paintbrush. It has not adopted 
the smoothfaced effect of some of the others. But if the 
flower is broken open, it will be found to be made up of 
many small divisions closely wedged together. 
The botanists call the flowers of this great group com¬ 
posites. When a composite is classified by the manner in 
which its blossom is put together, it then becomes easy 
to trace many other similarities of leaf, stalk, root, and 
manner of growth that run through the whole family. 
39 
