The secrets of wildflowers : a delightful feast of little-known facts, folklore, and history PDF
Preview The secrets of wildflowers : a delightful feast of little-known facts, folklore, and history
The Secrets of Wildflowers The Secrets of Wildflowers A Delightful Feast of Little-Known Facts, Folklore, and History JACK SANDERS with photographs by the author LYONS PRESS Guilford, Connecticut An imprint of Globe Pequot Press Copyright © 2003, 2014 by Jack Sanders ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437. Lyons Press is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press Book design by Casey Shain Spot images: www.clipart.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sanders, Jack, 1944— The secrets of wildflowers / by Jack Sanders. p. cm. ISBN 1-58574-668-1 (hc : alk. paper) 1. Wild flowers—North America. I. Title. QK110.S26 2003 582.13'097—dc21 ISBN 978-1-4930-0616-8 2002154440 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 AUTHOR’S WARNING : While this book contains many descriptions of herbal uses of plants, the author does not endorse any of these plants as medicines. Except for spreading jewelweed on his poison ivy rashes, he does not practice herbal medicine and does not recommend herbal treatments to others unless a licensed medical doctor prescribes them. Some widely used herbs are, in fact, dangerous. By using them, you could wind up among the dearly departed. Descriptions of medicinal uses are included in the book to tell the history of the plants and their relationship with people, to note species that are under study as possible medicines (and there are many of those), and to explain the origins of some often obscure folk names. To my wife, Sally, who helped me with this project in countless ways over many years; to Betty Grace Nash, who encouraged me to keep at it; to Jim Hodgins, who published many of my essays in the pages of Wildflower magazine; and to Tom McCarthy, the editor who believed in the book, The Secrets of Wildflowers is dedicated. CONTENTS Acknowledgments Introduction (Arranged approximately by blooming seasons) Spring Skunk Cabbage: First Flower of Winter Hepatica: Gem of the Woods Spring-Beauty: A Pink Potato Anemones: Flowers of the Wind Coltsfoot: Roadside Cough Medicine Bloodroot: A Bloody Early Bloomer Dandelion: Our Tulip in the Grass American Columbine: An Elfin Beauty Dutchman’s Breeches: Rude Little Trousers Garlic Mustard: A Tasty Foe Trout Lily: A Lily by Any Other Name Ginsengs: The Man-Plants Violets: Love in the Springtime Trilliums: Dead Meat Speedwells: Diamonds in the Rough Pussytoes: The Feet in the Lawn Buttercups: Bitter Beauties Celandine: A Golden Poppy Marsh Marigold: Friend of the Farmer Blue Flag: Born to the Purple Solomon’s Seals: The Several Seals of Solomon Wild Ginger: An Overlooked Crank Jack-in-the-Pulpit: The Silent Preacher Saxifrages: Rock Crushers? Lady’s Slippers: The Secretive Slippers May Apples: The Green Umbrellas Daisy: A Flower Loved and Hated Wild Geranium: The Catapulted Crawler Baneberries: Two-Season Treats Summer Goatsbeard: The Geodesic Clock Bedstraws: Creepers for Runners Cinquefoil: A Rose by Another Name Forget-Me-Nots: Legendary Flowers Chickweeds: For the Birds Black-Eyed Susan: A Pretty Face Bindweeds: The Pretty Stranglers Deptford Pink: Tiny but Divine Milkweed: A Sweet Grabber Butterflyweed: A Neglected Beauty Clovers: Ubiquitous and Useful Jewelweed: Nature’s Salve and Toy Black Cohosh: Candles of the Fairies Chicory: The Roadside Peasant Bergamots: The Monster Mints Nightshades: Beautiful, but Deadly? Pokeweed: Bounty for Man and Bird Sundews: The Carnivores Purple Loosestrife: Summer’s Deadly Glow Yarrow: The First-Aid Kit Queen Anne’s Lace: The Royal Carrot Dayflowers: An Embarrassing Memorial Late Summer & Fall Knotweeds: Knots Underfoot Indian Pipes: Ghosts of Summer’s Woods Mulleins: The Bearded Weeds St. Johnsworts: Chasing the Blues with Yellows Avens: Both Blessed and Cursed Mints: Old and Lively Scents Cardinal Flower: America’s Favorite Bouncing Bet: Soap with Bounce Evening-Primrose: An Owl-Like Sweet Toadflax: Old Toad Face Goldenrods: The All-Americans Ragweeds: The Season for Sneezin’ Joe-Pye Weed: A Noble Lummox Boneset: A Bitter Tea for the Ailing Sunflowers: Beauty and Bounty Turtleheads: The Talking Heads Vervain: A Favorite of Priests and Witches Groundnut: Sweet from Tip to Toe Ladies’-Tresses: Orchids of Autumn Dogbane: A Fly’s Worst Friend Thistles: Watch Your Step! Asters: The Stars of Autumn Gentians: The Royal Family Websites A Brief Glossary Bibliography
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