WILD FLOWERS WHITE AND GREENISH 
of the smallest of the Daisy-like flowers, having a light, 
greenish yellow centre with a finely fringed wreath of 
from forty to seventy fine white or often purple-tinged 
ray flowers. It is easily confused with others of its 
kind, owing to its similarity. The name Fleabane 
was applied to this plant because there was a popular 
belief among country people that the flowers possessed 
some objectionable features that caused undesirable 
insects to give it a wide berth. Accordingly the flowers 
were gathered and hung over the windows and doors, 
or they were dried and coarsely powdered and scattered 
about infected places in the house. Sometimes when 
the insects became too persistent, a few of the dried 
flowers were burned in the rooms so that the smoke 
would drive them away. ‘The erect, light green stalk 
is long, slender, grooved, hollow, hairy and leafy. It 
grows from one to four feet high and branches at the 
top where several flowers are borne on each terminal. 
The thin textured, light green leaves are soft and 
velvety to the touch, and their strong midribs show 
prominently. They are generally lance-shaped, tapering 
toward the point and narrowing into a long stem at the 
base. ‘The margin is coarsely notched into sharp teeth. 
The leaves graduate in size from the foot of the stalk, 
becoming very small and narrow, with the toothed 
margins disappearing entirely as they approach the top 
where they seem to set directly upon the stalk. Their 
arrangement is alternate. The flowers have a little 
edour and at night the ray flowers close upward, enfold- 
ing the centre. They are found almost everywhere 
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