This week it’s: The glory of daisies!
We look at one of the largest plant families in the world
THE lawn daisy is just one of around 32,900 daisy species – all plants in the Asteraceae family. This used to be called Compositae, but is now named after one of the plant groups within it – the aster. These, and most other plants in the family, have a central disc of stamens, and a ‘ray’ of many long, thin petals radiating from it. However, others, including cornflowers, thistles and the leopard plant (ligularia), have different types of bloom. Because of the family’s diverse nature, with many species tolerating hot, dry soil, while others enjoy moist, boggy soil, or the shade beneath trees, this is a valuable group of plants. As a bonus, many make outstanding cut flowers, too. Let’s
