cudweed, goldy locks, eternal flower, &c.: A genus of the polygamia superflua order, belonging to the syngenesia class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 49th order, Composita. The receptacle is naked; the pappus feathered; the calyx imbricated, with the marginal scales roundish, parched, and coloured. There are 41 species; the most remarkable of which are:

1. The margaritacum, or pearly white eternal flower, hath creeping, very spreading roots, crowned with broad, spear-shaped, white, hoary leaves; herbaceous thick, woolly stalks, a foot and a half high, branching outward, garnished with long, acute-pointed, white, woolly leaves, and terminated by a corymbose cluster of yellowish flowers, which appear in June and July, and are very ornamental.

2. The plantaginifolium, hath large woolly radical leaves, decumbent running roots, and herbaceous simple stalks, rising six or eight inches high, terminated by a corymbus of white flowers in June, July, &c.

3. The stellata, hath a shrubby stalk, dividing into slender branches three feet long, terminated by corymbose clusters of yellow flowers, appearing in May and June.

4. The orientale, or oriental goldilocks, hath three varieties, with yellow, gold-coloured, and white silvery flowers. They have shrubby stalks, rising two or three feet high.

5. The odoratissimum, or sweet-scented eternal flower, hath shrubby winged stalks, branching irregularly a yard high, with corymbose clusters of bright yellow flowers, changing to a dark yellow.

6. The arboreum, or tree gnaphalium, hath a woody stem, branching four or five feet high, narrow fleshy leaves, with revolute borders, smooth on their upper side, and roundish bunches of pale yellow flowers. The first three sorts are hardy, and will thrive in any soil or situation. The two first increase exceedingly by their roots; and the third is easily propagated by slips. The fourth, fifth, and sixth sorts are somewhat tender; and therefore should be kept in pots, to be sheltered in a greenhouse or garden frame in winter. Others may be planted in the full ground, in a dry and warm situation, especially the oriental kind and varieties, and likewise the sweet-scented kind; for these two species will struggle tolerably through an ordinary winter, and make a pretty appearance during the summer months. All these are propagated by slips or cuttings of their shoots.

The flowers of all these species are remarkable for retaining their beauty for years, if carefully gathered in a dry day, soon after they are blown.