Blue socks and the story of an unusual love
Blue socks have many virtues in them. They charm with their depth of color and versatility, but also with their wide field of associations. To some, blue socks bring to mind sea waves or the calm surface of a lake, while to others they remind of cloudless skies and field flowers. Surprisingly, the latter two associations have quite a bit in common, as told in an old legend. The story tells of a sky that rejoiced as all plants headed toward it and animals gazed at it with delight. One day, the sky encountered rye fields in its path and was disappointed to find that the crops were not looking upward. This news greatly saddened the plants, which regretfully admitted that they could not go higher. Upon hearing this, the sky changed its attitude and said that since the cereals could not be closer to the sky, another solution had to be found. Heaven stated that it would send its particle to the earth, so that the rye could always be close to it already. This is how cornflowers began to bloom among the ears of grain, which have since become an inseparable part of the rural landscape.
A mythical plant
Although the shade of blue color was named after cornflowers, the flowers also come in white and pink. It is also to the distinctive blue color that the plant owes its nicknames, among others, cornflower, prairie cornflower and prairie cornflower. The origin of the Latin name is also interesting. Centaurea L. is derived from the mythological centaur Chiron. One myth says that Hercules pierced Chiron with a poisoned arrow. At the time, everyone wrote off the centaur, but what they didn't know was that the centaur was well versed in herbalism. Chiron washed the stuttering wound with the juice of cornflowers, and it soon healed and the centaur returned to strength. Also during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the healing effects of cornflower were believed. Our ancestors had a good intuition, as modern research shows the plant's antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties. Nowadays, cornflower infusion is used supportively, among other things, and the extract of the plant is used in cosmetics. Creams with cornflower are known for their anti-aging and moisturizing effects.