Bellis is a genus of 15 species of
flowering plantThe flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...
s in the family
AsteraceaeThe family Asteraceae or Compositae is the second largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species....
, native to
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
and the Mediterranean region and northern Africa. One species has been introduced into
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
and others into other parts of the world.
Bellis species are mostly perennials, and grow from 5 to 20 cm tall. They have simple erect stems, and most species have basal leaves. They have radiate flower heads that are produced one per stem.
Bellis (English Daisy) is one of the flowers mentioned by Ophelia in Shakespeare's play
HamletThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then...
.
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Bellis is a genus of 15 species of
flowering plantThe flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...
s in the family
AsteraceaeThe family Asteraceae or Compositae is the second largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species....
, native to
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
and the Mediterranean region and northern Africa. One species has been introduced into
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
and others into other parts of the world.
Description
Bellis species are mostly perennials, and grow from 5 to 20 cm tall. They have simple erect stems, and most species have basal leaves. They have radiate flower heads that are produced one per stem.
Cultural references
Bellis (English Daisy) is one of the flowers mentioned by Ophelia in Shakespeare's play
HamletThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then...
. It is in this context connected with innocence.
Selected species
- Bellis annua
Bellis annua or the Annual Daisy is a species of the genus Bellis....
(Annual Daisy)
- Bellis azorica (Azores Daisy)
- Bellis bernardii (Corsican Daisy)
- Bellis caerulescens
- Bellis Habanera (Quilled English Daisy)
- Bellis hybrida
- Bellis hyrcanica
- Bellis longifolia
- Bellis microcephala
- Bellis perennis
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...
(Daisy, Common Daisy, English daisy, or Lawn Daisy)
- Bellis rotundifolia (Spanish Daisy)
- Bellis sylvestris
Bellis sylvestris or the Southern Daisy is a species of the genus Bellis....
(Southern Daisy)