BRACHYCOME

(from brachys, short, and kome, hair). Swan River Daisy. O RD. Compos itæ. A genus of beautiful little half-hardy perennials or annuals, closely resembling Bellis in structure. Involucral bracts membranous at the margin; receptacle pitted, naked. Fruit compre ed, surmounted by a very short bristly pappus. B. i be rid i folia is one of the prettiest of summer annuals, and in the open border it flowers profusely, if in a dry, sunny spot. Towards the autumn, it may be removed to the greenhouse, where it will still continue flowering for several weeks. Seeds may be sown in a gentle hotbed, early in the spring, and, when large enough, planted out in borders or beds, 6in. apart; or they may be sown thinly out of doors, late in April, and thinned out, when they will flower a month later than those sown in the hotbed.