B E L L I S perennis.
Common Daify.
S Y N G E N E S IA Polygamia-fuperjlua.
G en. C har. Receptacle naked, conical. Down none,
Cal. hemifpherical; its fcales equal. Seeds obovate.
Spec. Char. Root creeping. Stalk naked.
S yn. Beilis perennis. Linn. Sp. PI. 1248. Hudf. FI
An. 370. With. Bot. Arr. ed. 3, 733. R d i
Cant. 320. Siblh. Ox. 256. Curt. Lond. fafc. 1.
t. 6 1 .
B. fylveftris minor. Ran Syn. 184.
FX
E W plants are b etter know n than the daify. E v e ry pafture
and grafs-plat is befpangled w ith its flowers from the beginning
o f fp n n g till the end o f autumn and i f any mild weather happ
ens to break the fev er ity o f w in te r , the daify is fure to welcome
th e appearance o f the fun , and expand it fe lf to his beams. At
n igh t it a lways c lofes , and h en ce its E n g iifh n am e , day’s-eye or
eye o f the day. S e e the apt quotations from C h au e e r in the
flora Londinenfis, w h ere alfo w e are informed that this common
p lant is not eaten by fheep or horfes, nor w illin g ly b y cows.
. i h c r ,00t ftrong , perennial, branched and c re ep ing, throw-
m g ou t lo n g llra ig h t fibres, and p rodu cing at its c row n feveral
tu fts o f leaves fpreading in a ftar-like form upon the ground,
w h ich are obovate, blu n t, c rena te, flightly h a iry , and a ll moftly
rad ica l, one or tw o o f them only be ing v ery ra re ly borne upon
th e b a f e s o f the flalks m a lu xu r ian t fla te . S talks generally
u p r igh t, Ang le -flow e red , round, ha iry, naked. F low e r s various
m fize , inodorous. C a ly x dark g r e en , h a iry , fpreading. Radius
o f feveral fp readin g lin ea r or fomew h at elliptical- female
florets, w ith a n o tch at_ the tips, o f a polifhed w h ite , moftly
tin g ed w ith b eautifu l crimfon at the e xtrem ity , efpecially undernea
th . D ilk of-many tubular y e llow hermaphrodite florets. Recep
ta c le very conica l, and h o llow , dotted, without fcales or hairs.
Seeds ob ov ate, comprefled, w ith o u t any w in g or down. Stigma
c lo v en j th at o f the hermaphrodite florets th ick e r than in the
others.
. In g ardens the da ify is cultiva ted w ith double flowers, that
is, compofed en tire ly o f the ligu la te female florets, and either
w h ite , red , or fp eckled . Sometimes the c a ly x is proliferous at
its ba le , w h en it is called the hen-and-chicken daify. A y i.'r A r . r t l J J y / 'A * '