Specimen #20 Daisy Fleabane
Erigeron annus
Photo taken at Fairmeadows Park.
I see this flower frequently during summer cache hunting.
From the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center's _Wildflowers of Texas, Legends and Folklore Part II_:
DAISY FLEABANE (Erigeron spp.)
ASTERACEAE/SUNFLOWER FAMILY
The genus name, Erigeron, comes from two Greek words
that mean Spring and old man. The flowers, which bloom
in the Spring, were thought to resemble an old man’s beard.
Fleabane was used by early settlers to repel fleas and
other insect pests. It was dried and stuffed into mattresses.
The old English name for this plant was Robin’s plantain
because the seeds were said to have been imported
to Europe in a stuffed bird.
An old wives’ tale says that if a pregnant woman
wants to know the sex of her baby, she should plant
fleabane seeds. If the flowers bloom with a pink
tinge, she will have a baby girl; if blue, a baby boy.
1 comment:
I love all the cool info you add about your finds. I would love to see poison ivy or poison oak on one of yours, if you haven't already listed it. I don't think I have missed any posts. I have read a lot about it but I bet you can add something new I don't know.
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