Bellis perennis

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Bellis perennis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Bellis
Species:	B. perennis
Binomial name
Bellis perennis L.

Bellis perennis is a common European species of Daisy, often considered the archetypal species of that name. Many related plants also share the name "Daisy", so to distinguish this species from other daisies it is sometimes qualified as Common Daisy, Lawn Daisy or occasionally English daisy. It is native to western, central and northern Europe. The species is widely naturalised in North America,^[1] and also in South America.^[1]

Growth

It is a herbaceous plant with short creeping rhizomes and small rounded or spoon-shaped evergreen leaves 2–5 cm long, grows close to ground. The flowerheads are 2–3 cm in diameter, with white ray florets (often tipped red) and yellow disc florets; they are produced on leafless stems 2–10 cm (rarely 15 cm) tall. The lawn daisy is a dicot.

Etymology

It is thought that the name "daisy" is a corruption of "day's eye", because the whole head closes at night and opens in the morning. Chaucer called it "eye of the day".

Daisy is also a common girl's name and is a nickname for girls named Margaret, which originally comes from the Latin word for daisy.

Uses

It is not affected by mowing and is therefore often considered a weed on lawns, though many also value the appearance of the flowers. Several cultivars and hybrids have been selected with much larger flower heads up to 5–6 cm diameter and with light pink to purple-red ray florets.

Bellis perennis has astringent properties and has been used in folk medicine.^[2] In ancient Rome, the surgeons who accompanied Roman legions into battle would order their slaves to pick sacks full of daisies in order to extract their juice. Bandages were soaked in this juice and would then be used to bind sword and spear cuts.

Daisies have traditionally been used for making daisy chains in children's games.^[3]

See also

• Asteraceae

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Bellis perennis Linnaeus". Flora of North America. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200023530. 
2. ^ Howard, Michael. Traditional Folk Remedies (Century, 1987), p129
3. ^ "Children's 'right to play'". BBC News. BBC. 2002-08-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/2176467.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-02. 

External links

• Bellis perennis (USDA plant profile)

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