The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Cineraria

CINERARIA, a genus of plants of the family Asteraceæ, composed of about 25 species, natives of South Africa. The plants commonly in cultivation under this name were formerly placed in the genus Cineraria but are now generally referred to the vast genus Senecio. The cultivated forms have been derived from Senecio cruentus, native of the Canary Islands. They have large hairy leaves and dense clusters of heads of white, blue, pink and reddish flowers. They are extensively grown by florists as pot-plants, and by careful breeding a large number of varieties have been obtained.