Asteraceae

What looks like one flower is a tight head of many tiny flowers — a central disc, often ringed by petal-like ray flowers, cupped by overlapping bracts beneath.

Many members carry a milky, bitter sap once used as a digestive tonic, while others (like the culinary herbs of this family) build up strongly aromatic oils.

To check whether a plant belongs to Asteraceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.