T 
A_HE wild daisy is a simple, modest 
flower that beautifies the broad fields and spread¬ 
ing meadows in the month of June. It is pure 
white, having a yellow center and resembling 
the chrysanthemum in form, height and leaf. 
It is a well known flower both in Europe and 
America. . . . Because of the delicate whiteness 
of its petals, the French call it the marguerite — 
which means pearl; they also call it marguerite 
in honor of Saint Margaret who, because she 
would not renounce the Christian faith, was 
driven from the home of her father, a heathen 
priest of Antioch. Like Saint Margaret who, in 
her prayers and meditations, always kept her 
eyes and face toward heaven, the lovely mar¬ 
guerite lifts its pearly white petals to the heavens 
above. . . . The daisy has always been a flower 
of tradition and romance. In the old world, it 
is known by the botanical term Beilis, which is 
taken from Belides — wood nymphs of the myth¬ 
ological age. Mythology tells us that, while 
dancing on the green, one of the wood nymphs 
was seen by Vertumnus, god of the Spring. 
Moved by a sudden passion, Vertumnus hastened 
forward to embrace the charming white crea¬ 
ture, but to his astonishment and sorrow she 
turned away with a look of fear and aversion in 
her eye, and by some divine power fell to the 
earth transformed into a beautiful little daisy. 
. . . Being a species of the wild chrysanthemum, 
this lovely little white daisy grows without the 
least bit of cultivation or care and spreads so 
thickly that it checks the growth of other plants. 
For that reason, the farmers of North America, 
and especially those of the United States, look 
upon it as the menacing white weed, but the 
florist prizes it as the modest, much loved, hardy 
marguerite. In Europe, the daisy has been given 
many quaint and romantic names that find ex¬ 
pression in sweet poetry. It has always been 
referred to as “the poet’s darling.” 
