Bellis is a genus of 15 species of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

s in the family Asteraceae

Asteraceae

The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...

, native to Europe

Europe

Europe 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 watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and the Mediterranean region and northern Africa. One species has been introduced into North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 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 Hamlet

Hamlet

The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...

. It is in this context connected with innocence.

Selected species

• Bellis annua
  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 hybrida
• Bellis hyrcanica
• Bellis longifolia
• Bellis microcephala
• Bellis perennis
  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
  Bellis sylvestris or the Southern Daisy is a species of the genus Bellis....
  
  (Southern Daisy)