originally posted: December 27, 2002 | by chelsie

The Teutonic peoples inhabited the northern climes surrounding the Baltic and North Seas. In Anglo-Saxon, the month of December was called se ærra geóla; January was se æftera geóla. Geól, gehhol, and gehhel refer to that day when the sun shone weakest and lowest in the sky, the winter-solstice. Related to the Anglo-Saxon geól and probably derived from, were the Icelandic jöl, Danish and German jul, and Gothic jiuleis. Linguistic conjecture links geól with hweól 'wheel' and the 'wheeling' or turning of the sun. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: December 20, 2002 | by chelsie

Arab traders introduced qahwah seeds from the districts of Kaffa and Buno, Ethiopia and began the first true cultivation of the plants in the Arabian Peninsula sometime between 1000 to 1500 years ago. The main center of qahwah production was the port city of Mocha, Yemen. Qahve imported from Yemen was a popular strong brew with the Turks who served the drink to visiting Italian merchants. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: December 13, 2002 | by chelsie

John Tradescant was born around 1570 into the yeomanry. A family of English freeholders, they owned and cultivated land, but were not of the gentry. Yeoman often served in special capacities to the gentry and noble classes. Tradescant became a gardener and was considered "the greatest gardener" of his day. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: December 6, 2002 | by chelsie

During the last centuries of the Middle Ages and well into the Renaissance, choreomania (dancing madness) sporadically swept through Europe. Thousands of people 'participated' in these episodes, but no single causative agent has been uncovered. It is believed St. Vitus's dance was caused by the toxic ergot, the fungus infecting rye. Other episodes appear linked to religious fervor or mass hysteria. In Italy, the disorder was called tarantism and linked, at least in people's minds, to the bite of a spider. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: November 29, 2002 | by chelsie

The genus, Vaccinium, officially named by Linnaeus, is native to the Northern Hemisphere and is estimated to contain 150 species. All of the Vaccinium produce berries, although not all berries in this genus are consumed by humans, most serve as fodder for wildlife. Vaccinium (blueberries, cranberries, and lingonberries) are members of the Ericaceae or heath family. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: November 22, 2002 | by chelsie

Aztec gardeners cultivated vines producing small, many-seeded berries when Hernan Cortes conquered the civilization. The berries were introduced to Europe where any 'intelligent' person refused to even taste them. The Italians took these berries and created marvelous sauces, the French and Spanish cuisines followed suit. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: November 15, 2002 | by chelsie

The genus Chrysanthemum was established by Linnaeus (1707-1778). He combined and Latinized the Greek words, chrysous, golden, and anthemon, flower, a color typical of the known species in Europe. Growers in Holland attempted to introduce the common garden mum to Europe several times during the 1700s. It was not until 1789 that Blancard of Marseilles succeeded. One of the first mums grown widely by Western gardeners was a variety called 'Old Purple'. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: November 8, 2002 | by chelsie

John Gerard's original herbal included two species he knew as Digitalis. He wrote this warning in 1597: "...they are bitter, are hot and drie, with a certaine kinde of clensing qualitie joined therewith; yet are they of no use, neither have they any place amongst medicines, according to the Antients." (The Herbal, 1633 ed.) [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: November 1, 2002 | by chelsie

The foxgloves (Genus: Digitalis Linnaeus) are native to Europe, northwestern Africa, and eastern and central Asia. The botanical name, Digitalis, is related to the Latin words digitus, finger, and digitabulum, glove. This name was in use in old herbals long before Linnaeus made it official. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: October 25, 2002 | by chelsie

Virginia peppergrass (Lepidium virginicum Linnaeus) [le pe' di um vir gin' i cum] is a common annual 'weed' in the Brassicaceae or mustard family. Native to North America, Virginia peppergrass was well-known to early settlers and Native Americans. It is one of the first weeds up in the spring and tolerant of late frosts. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: October 18, 2002 | by chelsie

Pliny the Elder called it, Papaveris sativi, meaning "cultivated poppy". Linnaeus named it, Papaver somniferum or "poppy bringing sleep". It is the source of opium. Though the plant's name has changed over the centuries, the dried latex was called opium by the Romans and is called opium today. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: October11, 2002 | by chelsie

Linnaeus named the milkweeds, Asclepias, in honor of the Greek god of medicine, Aesculapius. Milkweeds contain toxic cardioactive glycosides. At one time, milkweeds were used medicinally for pleurisy, pneumonia, and fevers. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: October 4, 2002 | by chelsie

Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland brought the massive Chilean wine palm (Jubaea chilensis (Mol.) Baillon) to the world's attention after their exploration of South America. On July 23, 1834, the HMS Beagle dropped anchor in the bay of Valparaiso. In August, Charles Darwin rode into the Andes to study the marine sediments and shells found in mountains. [Click here to read more...]