XIX 
THE SUNFLOWER COUSINS 
I SN’T IT ODD that, once given the key, one is able so 
easily to trace the relationships among the members 
of the biggest of the flower groups, those cousins that 
range from the sunflower to the dandelion! 
The thing that sets these plants apart from all 
others is the fact that their flowers are not single 
blooms but a large collection of little ones combined 
in a bundle. If the head of a sunflower is broken 
open the cups of its hundreds of small flowers will be 
revealed. 
One may prove to his own satisfaction that the dande¬ 
lion is a cousin of the sunflower by likewise breaking open 
its bloom. The many divisions of small flowers will be 
revealed. 
A young lady, after having played “ He loves me; he 
loves me not ” with a daisy, may break open its head and 
find these same divisions into many parts. 
A dahlia or a chrysanthemum of the garden, upon ex¬ 
amination, will be found to be built up in the same way. 
This chrysanthemum, in fact, is but a daisy that has gone 
through a long course of training in physical develop¬ 
ment. 
When that wealth of yellow goldenrod overruns the 
autumn world, one may examine its flowers also to find 
out if they belong to this sunflower-daisy-dandelion 
group. Surely enough, when the head is broken open, it 
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