Throatwort Beauty

Some flowers have the strangest names. Take throatwort for example. Throatwort? What kind of name is that? My sentiments exactly, I mean why on earth would anyone name such a pretty flower that? It seems throatwort is not alone in the pretty flower-ugly name game. When I think of spiderwort, skunk cabbage and goosefoot, I have to wonder what’s behind the naming of a flower?

I've been using throatwort for many years in my floral designs, but realized I knew very little about it. It’s a pretty flower, looks a little like broccoli, but only a few people in the wholesale industry know much about it, and it's not very popular in arrangements... so I figured it was a perfect example of neglected beauty.


It took some digging to find the story of this oddly named plant. And if I learned anything, it’s that botany is a strange and mystical world when it comes to plant naming and meanings.


Throatwort, or Trachelium caeruleum (Latin), was discovered centuries ago, possibly in Braga, Portugal, where it colonized and covered the town’s mortared walls. Like many plants, throatwort was believed to have healing properties, in particular with sore throats. In Latin it is: Trachelium (genus), which comes from a Greek word “trachilos”, or neck. Caeruleum, (species), translates to the color which is often a mixture of blue.


As for its more common Anglo name-- throatwart-- again the word “throat” is for the area it supposedly heals, and "wort", an old word of either English or German origin, also spelled "wyrt", which means "plant root."


To divine the meaning of throatwort, I went back to where Florigraphy (literally, “ the language of flowers”) was at its peak in popularity. While the study of Floriography has roots in 17th century Persia and Turkey, it was during the Victorian era (1837-1901) that the study of flowers truly bloomed. England’s love affair with flowers was evident in fashion, gardening and culture, thanks to reigning Queen Victoria, a raging flower fanatic. The flower craze would spread across Europe; a Frenchwoman named Louise Cortambert, writing under the pen name, Madame Charlotte de la Tour, wrote the beautiful “Le Langage des Fleurs” in 1819 which detailed flower meanings and offered advice to those wishing to send clandestine messages, using the secret language of flowers.


But here’s the thing, I don’t speak French, so I didn’t find it. Back to the books for me. How frustrating it was reading about roses and daisies and lilies when my beautiful throatwort was staring right at me on my computer screen without any meaning. I perused every Victorian flower site and textbook I could find. I must have gone through 10 different sites before I got warm. After stumbling upon one website called The Forgotten Language of Flowers I reluctantly scrolled down to the T’s thinking I was done with this plant. Well, what do you know? There it was towards the bottom of the page: Throatwort, meaning: “neglected beauty”.

How perfect is that?!




Throatwort Facts:

Latin Name- Trachelium

Family-Campanulaceae

Origin-Portugal

Care- This is a very thirsty flower that will wilt quickly if left out of water.

Description- Clustered panicles of tiny flowers in purple, mauve, pink, creamy-white and green (new color).

Availability- Usually available year-round, with a peak period between April and October.

Psycho beauty, ... qu'est-ce que c'est?

It's a neglected beauty with a criminal record. A killer plant that is responsible for the deaths of a few overly curious teens, straying husbands and wives, several Native Americans and countless others who underestimated its deadly powers. What is this culprit of which I speak? None other than the seductively beautiful Datura stramonium, a.k.a. devil's weed, moonflower, Jamestown weed, ditch weed, stink weed, loco weed, mad hatter, green dragon, thorn apple, Downy Thornapple, zombie cucumber, angel's trumpet, devil's trumpet, devil's seed, mad apple, and tolguacha. That's a lot of names for a plant that made Georgia O'Keefe a heap of money.

Jimson Weed, by Georgia O'Keefe

More commonly referred to as Jimson weed, this unassuming, though highly poisonous beauty is not only associated with bad trips and deadly consequences, it has served as origin of several catch phrases such as, "Red as a beet, dry as a bone, blind as a bat, mad as a hatter". This is probably because that's how you're gonna feel if you eat any part of this plant. Clearly, Jimson weed is one bad-ass botanical.

But how can such a good looking plant be so bad? Just think back to high school and remember that bad boy with the angelic face you had a crush on. Just like him, Jimson weed, when in bloom, is an alluring beauty with a spotty reputation. But can we look at Datura Stramonium weed and not think of its dark side? The answer is of course, or gardeners would avoid showing it off it their yards. Those gorgeous blooms really can take your breath away. Perhaps that was a wrong choice of words.


As one would expect, Jimson weed has an interesting history. It is native to India and was imported to Europe and later brought to North America by early settlers. It was a plant before it became known as a weed, yet is actually considered an annual herb that grows up to 5 feet tall, with pale green stems and spreading branches and leaves that are ovate shaped. The flower blooms are showy, coming in white or purple with a 5-pointed corolla up to four inches long. Their "evil" seeds are contained in a hard, spiny capsules, about 2 inches in diameter, which split into four parts when ripe. Some florists (you know I do) use the spiny pods in the fall to add new texture into designs. It blooms mid-summer to early fall, and its gorgeous flowers don't open up fully until around midnight and then close early in the morning, lasting only a single day. How sexy is that?


Jimson weed as an herb is where it gets its rep as a dangerous "tripping" flower. In ancient herbal medicine, it was ingested to treat madness (although it often caused more), epilepsy, and melancholy. As an ointment it was thought to help burns and rheumatism. More recently, preparations from the plant have been used as ingredients, ironically, in some asthma medicines. With this exception, however, Jimson weed is generally considered too toxic and unreliable for medical applications today. It seems too many people had bad experiences when it was supposed to have magical healing properties.


Luckily all parts of this plant are unpleasant to the taste making it unappealing to children and animals. Although it grows wildly in pastures, cattle tend to avoid it unless there is sparse food to graze on. In this case, they generally die from poisoning, but this is not too common.


One of its more famous nicknames,"Jamestown weed", came from an event that took place in the 1600's in Jamestown, VA involving Nathaniel Bacon. Europeans brought Jimson weed over to America and planted it in Jamestown. Later, during Bacon's Rebellion, British soldiers decided to boil its leaves and put them in salads, where they ended up hallucinating severely for over a week. Talk about an organic, trippy salad.

No matter what Jimson weed's background is, there is no disputing--this plant is absolutely lovely, even in the middle of a field, growing wild. When it blooms in the evening, the flowers draw you in with their perfect shape and dreamy scent. So, next time you spot Jimson weed, get high off the neglected beauty instead of its leaves and seeds... that's a psycho trip you can afford to miss.

More Jimson Facts:

Nonmeclature:
Datura Stramonium L. - Named by Carl Linnaeus as published in Species Plantarum (1753). The genus was derived from ancient hindu word for plant, dhatura. The species name is from New Latin, stramonium, meaning thornapple. Stramonium is originally from from Greek, strychnos (nightshade) and manikos (mad).

Effects:
All parts of the plant are toxic-- so don't eat it! Initial symptoms are dry mouth, dilated pupils, high temperature, reduced sweating, blurred vision, and rapid heart beat. Also it can cause severe psychological effects like confusion, incoherent speech, impaired coordination, euphoria, and delirium. Extreme cases bring seizures, intense visual/auditory hallucinations, and cardiac arrest.

Addiction Potential:
Thus far, there are no reports that Jimsonweed is addictive.

Other "weird" current medical uses:
Today, believe it or not, extracts are still used in treating asthma, intestinal cramps, and both diarrhea and bed-wetting.

"High" Duration:
Depends on dose, with most effects beginning within two hours of use and some lingering up to 24-48 hours.

Is it Legal?:
In 1968, the abuse of Jimsonweed as a hallucinogenic drug prompted the US government to ban over-the-counter sales of products prepared from it, however, Jimsonweed is not a controlled substance.


For more information on Datura Stramonium, go to: Jimsonweed

Bittersweet beauty

American bittersweet, (Celastrus scandens)

One the best parts of fall for a flower spy is the rich assortment of textures to be discovered where flowers and leaves once bloomed. Multi-colored berries on stems sprouting in shades of gold, indigo, burnt orange, and crimson are everywhere from trees to bushes to plants. The greatest part about them is that they can be cut and used in autumn holiday arrangements.

American, or False bittersweet, (Celastrus scandens) is a perfect example, but like many of nature's plants, things are starting to change for this neglected beauty. As well, hearing the term “false” can make you wonder what is “true” bittersweet? There is in fact true bittersweet, but it is a different plant known as dulcamara, or bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara). Literally meaning bitter and sweet in Latin, dulcamara is more poisonous than American bittersweet, and its berries are green and red, with small purple flowers in the summer.

Bittersweet Nightshade, (Solanum dulcamara)

American bittersweet is a species native to central eastern U.S. and has long branches with many clusters of gold and red berries. There is another variety of the same family found in America, the Japanese bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), which was brought over for ornamental use. Differentiating between the two can be tough, but one way is to look for the placement of the berries. American bittersweet has berries on the ends of the branches while the Japanese variety grows on the length of the branch and bears blunt thorns. Another difference is that the American bittersweet is an innocuous vine that’s starting to become endangered, while the Japanese variety is taking over and threatening the environment by strangling and killing trees, a process called “girdling.”

Japanese bittersweet, (Celastrus orbiculatus)

Japanese bittersweet vines have spread so prolifically that they are beginning to displace the native American plants. Unfortunately, they are a better competitor in the woods; their fruits bear a brighter shade of red and produce more seeds, making it easier for birds to disperse them. Their seeds are also better at photosynthesizing, and are able to absorb light from a wider range of the spectrum (Dreyer 1985).

Bittersweet up close

Either type of bittersweet is easy to spot after a frost or two. They tend to grow on the tops of trees and shrubs in order to get sunlight. When it’s sunny or warm, the berry’s golden outer shell pops open, yielding bright orange-red berries inside. While most florists carry them, you can cut your own branches yourself if you know where to look. But beware! Bittersweet is usually surrounded by thickets, and this is a vine that tangles easily; the berries can stain, so be prepared for some work. However, if you love having natural elements in your home and don't mind a little effort, bittersweet makes a beautiful statement in a container or as an arrangement. If it's Japanese bittersweet you find, you'll be doing the trees and environment a favor by cutting it! American bittersweet also needs trimming at the end of the season, so don't worry about cutting this neglected beauty, just make sure not to damage the root.