Answer 1

According to the details section of ?cluster::daisy()

"Compared to dist whose input must be numeric variables, the main feature of daisy is its ability to handle other variable types as well (e.g. nominal, ordinal, (a)symmetric binary) even when different types occur in the same data set."

Answer 2

ChillPill
When referring to non-basic functions, it is helpful to mention the package they are taken from.

There is an abundance of R-packages. Googling/ Duckduckgoing 😉 a particular function can be a pain.