Daphne
3 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Daphne. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
daf'ne, in Greek mythology, a nymph, daughter of the river god Peneus. Apollo, in a somewhat overbearing mood, reproved Cupid for playing with bow and arrows. Cupid was determined to show the god that he was able to handle these weapons; so he shot Apollo through the heart with a gold-pointed arrow, thus inspiring him with a violent passion for Daphne. The nymph, however, he shot with a leaden arrow, which made her reject all thoughts of a lover. Apollo pleaded in vain; she would have none of his affection, and persuaded her father to consent to her remaining unmarried all her life. Finally, one day, while Daphne was enjoying some woodland sport, Apollo saw her running, her loosened hair flying in the wind. He immediately pursued her, begging her to run more slowly and not to fear him. Daphne ran her swiftest, but Apollo was swifter. When he was close upon her, she called to her father for aid, and was immediately transformed into a laurel tree. Apollo stood amazed, but realizing what had happened, he embraced the tree, kissed its branches, still trembling with Daphone's fear, and declared that thenceforth this should be his tree, and that he would wear a crown of its leaves which should no more decay, but remain ever green as a symbol of his own eternal youth. In Ovid's version of the story he makes Apollo say that Roman conquerors shall wear the laurel wreath. I espouse thee for my tree: Be thou the prize of honor and renown; The deathless poet, and the poem, crown; Thou shalt the Roman festivals adorn, And, after poets, be by victors worn.-Ovid.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
Important: Safety Warning This page prescribes plants as medicine according to pre-modern medical theory. Several of the plants named are toxic, correct identification is difficult, and the doses given have no scientific basis. Do not ingest or apply any preparation described here. This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon. a genus of plants belonging calyx without appendages, stamens 8 to to the Thymelæacex. Orifice of the simple, fruit succulent. D. laureola is 10, inclosed within the calyx, stigma the spurge laurel. It is an evergreen. D. mezereum has deciduous leaves and found in the temperate districts of Asia very fragrant flowers. They are all well as that of the branches, of D. and Europe. The bark of the root, as diaphoretic in cutaneous and syphilitic mezereon is used in decoction as a affections. In large doses it is an irritant poison, causing hypercatharsis. Used ex contains a ventral crystalline principle, externally it acts as a vesicant . It called daphnein . The fruit is poisonous. The barks of D. gnidium, D. alpina, D. cneorum, D pontica, and D. laureola have similar properties. The berries of the last are poisonous to all animals except birds. The inner bark of D. lagetta, when cut into thin pieces after maceration, assumes a beautiful net-like appearance, whence it has received the name of lace-bark. order Cladocera, family Daphniadæ. D.
1000 Classical Characters (1900)
A daughter of the River Peneus, or of the Ladon, and the goddess Terra, and of whom Apollo became enamored. Daphne fled to avoid the addresses of this god, and was changed into a laurel. 2026 Editor's Note: Apollo's love for Daphne led him to adopt the laurel as his sacred tree, and wreaths from the Vale of Tempe became the prize at the Pythian Games. This custom spread to honor victorious generals, athletes, and poets, ultimately giving rise to the modern title 'Poet Laureate'. Most artistic depictions of the myth focus on the moment of Daphne's transformation into a laurel tree. (Ed: BR 2026-06-12)