國花系列:DAISY (意大利)

Daisies
No other flower is so often mentioned in romantic literature. Daisy is derived from a Celtic word that, translated into English, means “day's eye.” And this, in turn, refers to the fact that daisies open their petals at sunrise and then close them again at sunset.

The daisy flower on any plant is your clue that it belongs in the composite family, renamed Asteraaceae after a most famous group of daisies, the asters. Composites are an immense clan totaling a whopping 13,000 species. It is topped in diversity only by the orchid family with its 17,000 species.



Composite flowers are composed of two parts. The center is composed of fertile flowers known as the disk. What appear to be petals on the outside of the disk are actually sterile flowers called rays. While this looks like a simple design, these are among the most complex of all flowers. Botany references begin with the simplest plants such as mosses and then present plant families in order of their evolution. Composites are always at the end, the most evolved and complex of all ies make excellent garden plants both annual and perennial, with each genus differing in hardiness and adaptability.


雛菊的傳說
雛菊原產於歐洲至西亞，花朵嬌小玲瓏，色彩和諧，早春開花，生氣盎然，天真爛漫的風采深得意大利人的喜愛，因而被推舉爲意大利的國花。
在羅馬神話裏，她是由森林的精靈維利吉斯轉變來的。當維利吉斯和戀人正在開開心心地玩耍時，卻被果樹園的神發現了，於是她就在被追趕中變成了雛菊。
占卜愛情的花：
自古以來在西方國家，雛菊常常被用來占卜愛情。把雛菊的花瓣一片一片剝下來，每剝下一片，在心中默唸：愛我，不愛我。直到最後一片花瓣，即代表愛人的心意。
另一種占卜婚姻的方法是：如果你想知道自己在什麼年歲結婚，只要隨手拔起一把花，看看當中有幾朵雛菊，雛菊的數目便是距離結婚日的年數。


雛菊形態特徵：
雛菊（Bellis perennis），別名延命菊，菊科，多年生矮小草本，簇生。高15－20釐米，葉自基部簇生，匙形或倒卵形，邊緣具齒牙。早春開花，頭狀花序單生於花莖頂端，舌狀花多輪，白色、粉紅色、紅色或紫色；管狀花黃色。種子細小，灰白色。英文名稱daisy。
雛菊栽培：
性喜冷涼氣候，較耐寒，忌炎熱。繁殖以播種爲主，也可扦插或分株。
播種時間：播種適期爲秋季10月間，由於雛菊種子極細，土壤宜選用篩過的細土，播前先澆水，使土壤充分溼潤後播下種子，不必覆土，約7－10天可發芽。
花期管理：開花時宜保持土壤的溼潤，並且使植株接受充足的日照，另外盆鉢擺置不可太擁擠，否則植株容易徒長。花謝後宜及時摘除，保留養分，以延長花期。
澆水要點：夏季應早晚澆水一次，保持盆土溼潤，否則植株容易枯萎。冬季則可減少澆水次數，每2－3天澆透水一次即可。
施肥要點：種植前基肥宜使用幹牛糞、雞糞等有機肥料。生育期則每半個月施用草花液肥一次。
雛菊應用：
雛菊宜作花壇鑲邊植物，也可用於岩石園、草地或盆栽。
雛菊花語：
純潔的美、天真、幼稚、快活。