Fontenesii: The Spying Flower

A common old wives tale in Asteria involves the Fontenesii flower commonly called the "Elf Ear" due to the yellow flowers that are the shape of elvish ears.

Summary

Common folklore holds that these plants, commonly found along waterways and ponds throughout Asteria, are magical and were originally introduced by the elves during the days of the Elvish Empire's control of Asteria. It is said that these flowers are actually magically linked to the elves and an elf can hear anything spoken near them.
The tale was common among the peasants of Asteria and was used to shame the women of the land from being gossips, as it was said that gossip shared while doing the wash would be heard by the flowers and so the secrets of the village would be revealed to the elvish overlords.
Over time, the Fontenesii flower became a secret symbol for Elvish Sympathizers and became a common symbol in art of the later 1st Age to disparage unpopular leaders due to the implied connection to the elvish people. A common threat among the nobles, even into the late 2nd age, was leaving an Elf Ear flower at the door of an enemy.

Historical Basis

While it is true that the Elves of Entreties introduced the flower to Asteria, the reason was considerably less sinister than the Asterians assumed. The Elvish Cult of Lythus held the flower sacred as it grew strong near waterways and helped keep streams clean. So the traveling priests of the God of the Waters would plant them along various waterways in all the lands that the empire claimed stewardship over.
In an interesting coincidence, the buds and stems of the flower can be used for a variety of magical purposes including as a material component for a clairvoyance spell.