Health is the Flora of Today: Daisies

 

Daisies 

Bellis perennis (/ˈbɛləs pəˈrɛnəs/),[2][3] the daisy, is a European species of the family Asteraceae, often considered the archetypal species of the name daisy

Bellis may come from bellus, Latin for "pretty", and perennis is Latin for "everlasting"

Bellis perennis is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to 20 centimetres (8 inches) in height

It has short spoon-shaped leaves that are from 2 to 5 cm (3⁄4–2 in) long and grow flat to the ground

The species colonizes lawns, and is difficult to eradicate by mowing, hence the term 'lawn daisy'

It blooms from March to September and exhibits the phenomenon of heliotropism, in which the flowers follow the position of the sun in the sky

The flowerheads are composite, about 2 to 3 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄4 in) in diameter, in the form of a pseudanthium, consisting of many sessile flowers with white ray florets and yellow disc florets. Each inflorescence is borne on a single leafless stem 2 to 10 cm (3⁄4–4 in), rarely 15 cm (6 in) tall. The capitulum, or disc of florets, is surrounded by two rows of green bracts known as "phyllaries"

The species has a very long flowering season and generally blooms from early to midsummer

B. perennis has astringent properties and has been used in herbal medicine

Daisies have traditionally been used for making daisy chains in children's games