Wild Flowers as They Grow 



Its generic name, Centaurea, which it shares with 



others, is derived from the Centaur Chiron, who 



taught mankind the heaUng value of herbs. 



The Cornflower is the national flower in Germany, 



where it is perhaps more in evidence than with us. . 



It is the flower by the aid of which Margaret strove 



to fathom whether Faust loved her truly, as she 



whispered : 



" There is a flower, a purple flower. 

 Sown by the wind, raised by the shower. 

 O'er which Jove has breathed a powerful spell. 

 The truth of whispering hope to tell. 



" Now, gentle flower, I pray thee tell 

 If my lover loves me and loves me well ; 

 So may the fall of the morning dew 

 Keep the sun from fading thy tender blue." 



The Cornflower belongs to the vast family of the 

 CompositcB ; there is just a suggestion that it is 

 really an alien from Western Asia and Southern 

 Europe that has become naturalised here. 



182 



