Some fleabanes resemble other well-known flower types, such as the daisy or aster, and their common names often reflect this fact. Several species, for instance, are frequently referred to as daisy fleabane due to their close resemblance to the daisy. The size of the fleabane flower head is smaller than the daisy’s, however, and the number of ray flowers surrounding the disk flower is greater. The latter difference may be readily noted by anyone who attempts to determine the feelings of a potential sweetheart by plucking the petals off one of the flowers while musing whether “he loves me” or “he loves me not.” It takes two to four times longer to determine if someone is beloved through this springtime ritual of divination if a young paramour mistakenly picks a daisy fleabane instead of a true daisy. View a larger version of this digital image. |