Posts Tagged ‘plant folklore’
Phoebe Lankester: The Widowed Botanist Who Made Wildflowers Worth Notice
Penelope the British Botanist April 9, 1900 Today is the anniversary of the death of the British botanist, author, pragmatist, and survivor, Phoebe Lankester. Phoebe’s birthday is tomorrow. Born in 1825 as Phoebe Pope, she married the naturalist Edwin Lankester- who was a coroner and medical reformer. Together, they had eleven children. When Phoebe was 49,…
Read MoreWilliam Withering: The Physician Who Unlocked Foxglove’s Healing Power
Fond of Foxgloves March 17, 1741 Today is the birthday of the English botanist geologist, physician, and chemist William Withering. William became the very first person to study the bioactivity of the flower known as Digitalis or Foxglove. In this respect, William’s training as a physician served him well. And the story goes that one…
Read MoreThe Secret Language of Daisies: Susan Wittig Albert on Healing, Prophecies, and Seasonal Signs
by Susan Wittig Albert The Daisy’s genus name, Belis (martial or warlike), refers to its use by Roman doctors as a common treatment for battlefield wounds. John Gerard, the sixteenth-century herbalist and author of the first important herbal in English, wrote: “The leaves stamped take away bruises and swellings … whereupon it was called in…
Read MoreTraveller’s Joy: The Poetic Clematis of England’s Countryside
The Traveller’s Joy Poet November 2, 1848 Today is the anniversary of the death of the English poet and Irish bishop Richard Mant. Richard wrote a little poem about the wild clematis that happens to be England’s only native Clematis. In the 17th century, the herbalist John Gerard gave it the common name “The Traveller’s…
Read MoreAlice Lounsberry: Botanical Writer and Explorer of American Wildflowers
The Garden Writer Today is the birthday of the botanist and garden writer Alice Lounsberry who was born on this day in 1868. (Note: Online accounts, based on a Who’s Who biography have the date of her year of birth as 1873 – which is incorrect as she was already two years old on an…
Read MoreSweet Roots and Ancient Wisdom: Celebrating National Licorice Day
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 12th, every year Today, dear garden enthusiasts and confectionery connoisseurs, we celebrate National Licorice Day. Let us delve into the rich history and surprising botanical heritage of this sweet and storied plant.…
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