Why gather ferns on St. John's Eve?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
January 13, 2003
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The female fern or bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (Linnaeus) Kuhn) [ter rid' ee um ak kwi li' num] grows around the world with twelve geographic varieties. Tri-pinnate leaves arise from an underground rhizome. The crosiers (curled fronds) have been eaten, but it is now known
that the fern contains carcinogenic compounds.
John Gerard called the fern Filix foemina and recommended, "...the pouder hereof finely beaten is laid upon old ulcers, and healeth the galled neckes of oxen and other cattell...the root...cast into an hogshead of wine keepeth it from souring." But he strongly urged care in its use; the fern was considered an abortifacient, "...it killeth the childe in the mothers wombe...this bringeth barrennesse, especially to women; and it causeth women to be delivered before their time..." (The Herbal, 1633 edition)
Since ancient times, it was considered a plant with special powers. Carried, the fern fronds offered protection from witches. The stipe (leaf stem) cut obliquely near the rhizome shows a pattern in the shape of the Greek X (chi) the initial of Christ. Witches were said to detest the fern and flee at its sight. John Gerard (1597) and Linnaeus both thought the pattern more shaped like an eagle with wings spread. Aquilinum is Latin for eagle.
Like all ferns, female fern reproduces by spores. Not understanding the reproduction of ferns, people thought the minute dots 'fern seeds'. It was believed that the 'seeds' of female ferns were only visible on St. John's Eve. If one could gather the fronds at the precise moment that John the Baptist was born, the 'fern seeds' conferred invisibility upon the collector.
The Connecticut Botanical Society has two great photographs of Pteridium aquilinum taken by Janet Novak and Carol Levine. To view the photographs, click on the link:
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/ferns/pteridiumaqui.html
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
What is the mystery of mistletoe cactus? Weird Plants - March 3, 2005
Give this fern a brake What's in a Name? - January 17, 2003
What fern loves arsenic? Weird Plants - November 15, 2001
What fern only looks like it's dead? Weird Plants - August 9, 2001
Golden Polypody (Phlebodium aureum) Plant of the Week - June 7, 2004
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