Day 138 of Wonder
Daisies! Who hasn't tried to build a daisy chain? Or plucked the petals off, vainly hoping 'he loves me, he loves me not' will turn out differently the next time? Their enduring presence in nature and gardens is hardly a surprise.
Some things you might not know about daisies :
Daisies belong to one of the largest families of plants in the world. Daisies belong the family of 'vascular plants' - those which circulate nutrients and water throughout the plant. They make up almost 10% of all flowering plants on Earth.
Daisies are found everywhere on Earth except Antarctica
The name 'daisy' is thought to come from the Old English 'daes eag' 'Daes eag' is thought to mean 'day's eye', after the way in which it opens at dawn.
The daisy family, known to scientists as Compositae, was classified in 1792.This was classified by Paul Dietrich Giseke, a German botanist and close friend of the Swedish 'father of modern taxonomy' Carl Linnaeus.
Daisies represents purity and innocence.
A daisy is actually two flowers in one. The (usually) white petals count as one flower and the cluster of (usually) tiny yellow disc petals that form the 'eye' is technically another.
Daisy leaves are edible. Daisy leaves can make a tasty addition to salads (they're closely related to artichoke and are high in Vitamin C).
Daisies have lots of medicinal properties. Daisies are thought to slow bleeding, relieve indigestion and ease coughs. In homeopathy, the garden daisy is known as the gardener's friend for its ability to ease an aching back.
If not controlled, some daisies can become serious weeds. This is because they thrive in generally inhospitable conditions are are resistant to most bugs and pesticides.
Bees love daisy relatives. These include Goldenrod, making them an important friend of honey makers.
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/8481965/Top-10-facts-about-daisies.html
