Carmel presents us with flowers in all seasons. In this column we will always present one of the Carmel flowers, at the same time as it appears in the field, and you will be invited to visit it in one of the places where it blooms.

The daughter daisy

The house daisy is a plant from the complex family that has beautiful and graceful blooms that are pinkish white in color around the perimeter and yellow in the center. The daisy is ahead of blooming, the first flowers appear in the garden and in the grove as early as December and continue to bloom until March.

The perennial plant has a rhizome in the ground, on which their innocent lip is elongated and they are arranged in a rosette of leaves on the surface of the ground. At the beginning of summer, all its above-ground parts wither and the plant goes into a coma.

The flowers of the perimeter of an inflorescence are lingual, their color is white on their upper side and purple-pink on their lower side. The central flowers are tubular and yellow in color. The English name of the plant is "Scarlet Pimpernel" and it gained literary fame as the name of a novel penned by Baroness Emma Orchi.

ID

• The house daisy is a perennial plant that belongs to the complex family.
• Its root remains in the ground even after it has withered, and it contributes to the plant's stability over time.
• Its height reaches between 20 and 30 cm, and the leaves are simple, elongated and arranged in a rosette on the ground, with an innocent lip.
• The stem is leafless and covered with fine hair, and a single inflorescence blooms at the end.
• The plant blooms mainly in winter, mainly between December and February.
• The inflorescence is a small scalp, 2.5-3 cm in diameter, and contains yellow tubular flowers in the center and white-pink tabular flowers at the edges.
• The lingual flowers are unisexual (only female or only male), while the tubular flowers in the center are bisexual.
• The plant produces nectar that attracts pollinators, but does not emit a scent.
• The fruit of the plant is small, flattened and egg-like seeds.
• The plant has culinary uses, with the leaves being eaten in salads or soups.
• Its distribution is widespread in houses and groves throughout the Mediterranean, from the north to the Judean Mountains.

A place to meet this week

A secondary entrance to the Forty Grove about 600 meters southwest on Highway 672 from the main entrance to Carmel Park.

• Drive on road 672 from the university towards Usafia.
• About 600 meters southwest of the main entrance to the Carmel Park (Klaniot parking lot), take a left (toward the northeast) to Derech Kurkar from Route 672. 
• Continue on the Kurkar path for about 50 meters until the path is blocked by huge sacks.
• Continue on foot for about 400 meters. On the left side of the path you will see flower clusters of the house daisy.

If you go to visit the flower in the company of children, you can tell them the legend about the house daisy.

The legend of the house daisy

In a beautiful green valley, where the sun always shines and the flowers dance in the wind, a small and special graceful animal. It was a graceful plant with pinkish white flowers.

One day, when the daisies began to bloom, she heard a strange noise. She discovered a little mouse named Mickey, who was very sad.

"What happened, Mickey?" A curiously graceful question.

Mickey replied, "I'm looking for a place where I can live safely, but all the places I find are full of obstacles and dangers."

Graceful, saw the sadness in his eyes and offered him help: "Let's create a safe and special place! I can invite all the plants and animals in the valley so we can work together."

Mickey happily agreed, and Hinnit called her friends - the butterflies, the birds, the plants and the trees. Everyone came to help, and everyone brought their talent - the butterflies flew up and brought seeds, the birds built nests, and the trees offered shade and silence.

Little by little, with hard work and love, they created a beautiful and pleasant place, where all the animals and plants can live in peace and security. Mickey was happy, and for the first time felt at home.

From that day, the house daisy became a symbol of friendship and cooperation. Anyone who saw her flowers knew that life is more beautiful when you help each other. The illuminated valley became a warm home for all the animals, with a daisy in the center, blooming and smiling.

Thus continues the legend of the daughter's daisy, a wonder plant that teaches us all about the power of friendship and love.