This is in the medicinal garden at Elm Bank. A bee happened to fly through the frame as I was shooting! A perennial herb, native to Europe. Evidently it has historic medicinal uses, especially as a topical ointment, but is poisonous if taken internally. One of the common names was “knitbone.”
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.)
In the Native American garden at Elm Bank. Was grown in early American gardens for making blue dye as a substitute for expensive imported indigo dye. Cherokees used it to make blue dye also. The Osage made an eyewash from the plant. It’s called Blue False Indigo because of its use as a substitute for the Indigo plant which is superior for dye-making. Native to North America, introduced to Britain by 1724. Pea family.
Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Native. Can be up to 3 feet tall. After blooming will have round yellow fruit, like little tomatoes, but deadly to humans. Has spines along the stem. Nightshade family.
Horsenettle (Solanum carolinense)
This must have a short blooming season, because I noticed a large area blooming in front of a long-empty house, and a couple of days later when I came back with a camera, there were very few blooms left. Many parts are edible, but the interesting thing is that you can roast and grind the roots, and brew them as a coffee substitute or additive. Has a smooth taste, no caffeine, and is still included in New Orleans-style blends. Also known to be toxic to internal parasites — now THAT’s coffee. Also, the chicory plant is one of the earliest plants mentioned in literature, and was cultivated in ancient Egypt. Native to Europe.
I have already posted photos of common vetch and crown vetch. This is another species of vetch, similar to a pea in habit, with tendrils that fasten on to other plants. Widely used as forage for cattle. Pea family. Origin: Eurasia.
Cow Vetch, Tufted Vetch, Bird Vetch (Vicia cracca)
Each flower lives only one day, but each plant produces 20 or more flowers per stem. The sap has a viscous quality and can be stretched between your fingers like a thread of spider silk. Maybe this is where the name came from. Plus it’s also called Cow Slobber and I guess that could be related. The stems, leaves and flowers are edible, raw or added to stew. The flowers can garnish your salad! The spiderwort genus is named after John Tradescant, who was a gardener for King Charles I of England (1600-1649). Spiderwort seeds were brought back from the new world, and he planted them and popularized spiderworts. Love the curly purple stems.
Spiderwort, Cow Slobber (Tradescantia sp.)
Has a berry that changes from green to yellow to orange to red when fully ripe. The berry is poison to humans and livestock, but edible for birds! The foliage is also poisonous to humans. When I was a little kid, this was growing in the backyard where I played. It must have been dramatically impressed on me that it was DEADLY POISON, because I’ve always had a sense of respect for its power, a viper in the domestic landscape. In the potato genus Solanum. Invasive, native to Europe and Asia.
Bittersweet Nightshade, Felonwood, Poisonberry (Solanum dulcamara)
You know, you just can’t walk outside without seeing a bunch of new wild things coming into blossom. Great name — why is it called Toadflax? Figwort Family. Native.
Blue Toadflax (Nuttallanthus canadensis)
These are lovely in the dappled shade. Not sure if this variety is strictly wild… Lily family. Native to Europe and Africa.
Wood Hyacinth (Hyacinthoides hispanica)
Bonus picture for A.F. Marilyn, who likes when I include other photos from the general environment. I saw this ripped missing leaflet as I walked from the arboretum back to the school, walking from Eden back to the city.
Love this stuff. The blossoms aren’t as tiny as most of the plants I’ve been recording. Showy and beautiful. Most fragrant in the evening. Native to Europe. Mustard family. (I originally identified this as phlox.)
Dame’s Rocket, Mother of the Evening (Hesperis matronalis)
