Recipes!

My next project will involve edible wild plants and app technology. For the NS Plants book we crowd-sourced images. While I may need a few of those again, mainly I would like to crowd-source family recipes using wild plants or plants gathered from the wild. You may send your recipes to me and credit will be given to those submitting them.

Christmas Plants Part III

I am thinking I can only squeeze one more paragraph on the seasonal plants for December. So I will mention the Mistletoe, that sacred Druid plant, once harvested with a golden sickle. Its curious name harkens back to an Old English, Norse or Germanic word for twig, but the use has become obscured. It is a parasitic plant, a vine that twists around the host plant, inserting its stem into the tissue to gain nutrition. Some photosynthesis occurs in some species. One western European species became associated with Christmas. Beneath the mistle it is said, a man may kiss whichever female is standing below.

Nova Scotia’s Dwarf Mistletoes is a small insignificant plant that would not serve to deck the halls, so we import sprigs of the European or American species.

Of course most English-speakers have heard the carol, The Holly and the Ivy. In last week’s piece, I neglected to mention that Holly with its thorny leathery leaves, symbolizes the male while Ivy (English Ivy) refers to the female. Both plants have been used in Christian homes since the 1800s as holiday plants in December.

Christmas Rose and Christmas Cactus are two diverse plants associated with our holidays. Christmas Roses are actually not roses, but Hellebores, a relative of buttercups. Their creamy white flowers are double-petalled and rose like and associated with the holiday season, especially on early postcards. More familiar to Nova Scotian homes, may be the Christmas cactus. This Brazilian cactus displays its pink or red array of flowers near the end of December. Many a home attempts to time flowering with December 24 and 25th. My mother used to relegate the plants to the closet for a few days to delay flowering. It rarely worked other than to break off branches on her 10kg plant!

Wrapping up with a Nova Scotian species, we have the Christmas-fern. This woodland fern sports a crown of evergreen leaves, often seen as green throughout milder winters. To my knowledge, the Christmas association only refers to its being green in December.

May you enjoy the last few weeks of December with family and friends. Happy New Year and here’s hoping we connect again in 2016. See you then!

 Dwarf Mistletoe, photo by Sean Blaney

 Scrap of Christmas Rose on vintage postcard, from my collection

 photo from Southern States, a garden site, Christmas Cactus

Holly and the Ivy, vintage postcard scan from my collection

Botanical allegory

After last week’s presentation of balsam-fir and wreaths, I started thinking about other Biblical botanical references. There are several more that connect with the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ, which we acknowledge this month. One reference stated that 30 plants are associated with the Nativity alone.

The first is less allegorical and more a direct reference. It is bedstraw, specifically the Yellow Bedstraw. Apparently the manger where Christ was born, was lined with a variety of plants. Bedstraw was one such plant. Apparently after His birth, the flowers burst forth around His head, a golden halo. Bedstraw since that time has been referred to as Mary’s Bedstraw or Lady’s bedstraw, as beds were lined with matted plants found all over Europe.Yellow dye may be extracted from Galium verum. Sweet Woodruff is another Galiumspecies used. Bedstraw species also grow in Nova Scotia.

We associate Holly with Christmas and have at least since the Middle Ages in Europe. Holly is an evergreen. Legend has it the deciduous shrub grew leaves one winter during the holy family’s flight from King Herod’s soldiers. Jesus’ gratitude was to make it evergreen. Holly was once called Holy Plant. Again Nova Scotia has several native hollies growing along the edges of streams, lakes and wetlands. The English Holly we use at Christmas, is horticultural material. One legend claims the bed berries represent the blood of Christ and the prickly leaves, the crown of thorns eventually worn by Christ.

Frankincense and myrrh associated with the wise men who visited Bethlehem after the birth. The Magi carried with them, three caskets: one of gold, one of frankincense and one of myrrh. Each was said to have represented the three offices of Jesus: gold for King, frankincense for Priest and myrrh for Prophet. Frankincense is the sweet sap of a tree used as a perfume. Some say it had medicinal properties and that it symbolized royalty. Myrrh was used as an anointing oil (or embalming oil). It is also softly perfumed and is extracted from a thorny tree. Both are resins, released by the plants when the trees are wounded. Essential oils and beads of resins are both available today. Myrrh elsewhere in the Bible refers to Myrrhis odorata, a licorice-scented potherb. Neither grow in Nova Scotia, being native to the Middle East and eastern Africa.

Generally these weekly entries are written from my prior knowledge. However my religious instruction was half a century ago, long before my botanical instruction. Therefore I used wikipedia to assist me.


Yellow Bedstraw, photo by Martin Thomas
Canada Holly, photo by Ross Hall

Frankincense, from website of Paul Bennett

Myrrh, by Paul Bennett

December flowers

This darkest month is blessed by several festivals and celebrations. For those born during the month, they have a choice of two flowers. Narcissus or daffodil also serves March. These white to yellow flowers are familiar as spring bulb plants and symbolize sweetness. Narcissus is named after the attractive Greek god, who was so self-possessed that he drowned while admiring his reflection. Apparently, it is the national flower of the Kurdish culture, associated with New Year. Some claim it is the most popular flower in Germany. Giving the flower to another speaks of your respect, modesty and faithfulness.

Alternatively, the Ponsettia, is also December’s flower. These red and green flowers are native to Central America. Giving of them to another says that ‘you’re the only one’ in the language of flowers. In Mexico, the plant is known as the Mexican flame leaf or Noche Buena. I have seen them in Costa Rica, upwards of 4m in height and quite woody.

Legend has it that they became associated with Christmas when poor children picked and offered the brightly coloured roadside weeds as gifts to Christ. Aztecs reportedly used the the bright red bracts to extract a purple dye.

Sure to brighten any home in December, both are grown as potted plants. Both images below are stock photos from the web.