Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1914-07-31
ALL ABOUT FLOWERS
Strange Legend in Connection
With Origin Of Plants.
Human Blood and Tears often the
Tabled source-Hed Flowers Spring
From the Former and White
From the Latter.

Human blood and tears are fire.
Quently legendary sources Of plants.
remarks Suburban Life. As gem
erai rule, red flowers spring from tho
former and white from the latter.
Thus. the Greek tradition says thai
the anemone sprang from the passion
ate tears Venus shed over the dead
body of Adonis.
In Mexico marigoids are known -
death fioweras because. according to
a legend. the life blood OF those who
fell victims to the love OF gold and
cruelty Of the early Spanish settlers.
Among the virginian tribes. too. red
clover was supposed to have sprung
from and to be colored by the blood OF
the red men slain in battle with the
white invader. In a similar manner
the red peoples which followed the
blowing of the field OF Waterloo we're
said 10 have sprung from the blood
Of the killed and wounded In that
battle.
According TO tradition, the Danish
weed. a coarse asteraceous plant com
mon In England. as II sprang from
the blood OF Danes slain In battle.
and. il cut on certain day In the
year, II bleeds The dwarf elder. for
the same reason. Is called danewort
and Danes blood The clustered bell
flower also ID associated with this
historical event
In the village OF Barlow there arc
four remarkable hills supposed to
have been thrown up by the Danes
as monumental memorials Of tha bat
tie fought IN 1905 between canuts
and Edmund Ironside. Tho clustered
beiIfiower Is largely scattered over
these mounds and the cottagers about
attribute its presence TO It's having
originated In Danish blood.
In Sussex the lily OF the valley II
said 10 be memorial OF the baltic OF
St. Leonard fought with . dragon.
The holy man encountered q mighty
worm or IRE drake In the forest and
battled with II for three days At
last the saint Was victorious. though
wounded seriously. and wherever his
blood dropped there spranE NJ lilies
Of tho valley IN profusion. In France
the lily OF the valley is said to spring
from che virgins tears.
There 10 An amusing story told Of
the origin Of the brambie. There were
once three partners engaged IN the
wool trade They loaded ship with
large cargo. but II WAS wrecked
and the firm became bankrupt All
resorted 10 metamorphosis for protec-
ton. One partner became the bat.
and so skulks about TIL midnight TO
avoid his creditors: the second be-
came the cormorant, and IL forever
diving into the deep. TO discover the
foundered vessel. while the third be-
came the bramble bush. that sits By
the roadside and seizes hold Of every
passing sheep to make up his losa b.
theft.
A rather humorous pedigree IL as
signed 10 the violet These flowers
were once girls who. having defeated
Venus IN dispute she had with Cupid
as 10 whether she or they excelled Id
sweetness. were beaten blue by tho
angry goddess and changed 20 violets.
There Is . suitable legend told In
Germany Of the plantain or pawbread.
which hsunts 20 persistenfly the track
OF man. The plant was formerly
maiden who. while watching BY the
wayside for her lover. was trans
formed into this plant. but once In
seven years It becomes bird. either
. cuckoo or hoopoe. and goes flying
on IN search OF the lost lover.
The story Ia duplicated "a another
German legend regarding the succory.
A patient girl. after waiting day by
day for her Setrothed for many
month. at last, worn out with wafeh-
ing, sank exhausted BY the wayside
and expired Only her pretty blue
eyes remained alive and watchful and
so before many days. had passed this
little plant with It's starlike blossom
sprang up all about the spot where
the broken hearted maiden had sighed
away her life. Hence the common
name or the plant. "wagewarter." or