The Gardening Doctor

Amaranthus (Lineaus 1753) Especially grown for food, an important grain crop in the Andes since pre-Colombian times. The coloured form A. Caudatus (illus.) is grown for ornament and commonly called love-lies-bleeding. This annual is an olde cottage garden favourite with long crimson tassels hanging from upwards of 1m stems.

Euphorbia (L. 1753) Most are succulents, many are herbaceous and a few are woody shrubs. The family Euphorbiaceae contains the species Hevea brasiliensis the source of much rubber as well as the common Christmas house plant E. pulcherrima better known as Poinsettia, the red bracts of which develop best with nights of more than 14 hours. Their characteristic feature is the distinctive flower structure consisting of bracts (often coloured as in E. x Martini) and the blistering white milky sap that exudes from cut stalks that give the native euphorbia its common names of milkwood or spurge. The latter name in recognition of the sap’s purgative properties in ancient medicine, it has been recorded in cultivation since Roman times.

Hypericum (L. 1753) commonly known as St. John’s wort, has become valued as a herbal remedy to treat depression. It was associated with the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, an order of knights that flourished in the 12th century. The berries of the Euopean H. androsaemum called tutsan (from toute saine) were used as a diuretic and its leaves applied to wounds (especially when infused in olive oil). The most common variety (illus.) H. calycium, also called the Rose of Sharon, is a low growing rapidly spreading shrub seen on dry banks and a stalwart of rockeries.

Lathyrus (L. 1753), pea or vetchling in the Leguminosae family. The common cultivated species is the aromatic sweet pea L. odoratus, beloved of cottage gardeners, which probably originated from Sicily. The chickling vetch L. sativus has been cultivated since neolithic times, its leaves for fodder, its pods & seeds for human consumption.

Paeonia (L. 1753) Peonies have long been cultivated for their spectacular flowers as well as for their medicinal properties, originating from China in the 7th century. Particularly popular in Edwardian herbaceous borders the cultivar Sarah Bernhardt is a perennial favourite, the evolutionary relationships in the family have long been the subject of speculation but it is now generally accepted that it is an isolated family within the order of saxifrages. Its European introduction can be traced back to 995AD when the Abbott Aelfric lists the common peony P. officinalis as a highly prized plant in the physician’s garden. Records from Durham Priory infirmary of 1299 list the purchase of the plant’s seed to hang around the neck of those suffering from “melancholy nightmares”. The ancient Greeks first documented the genus & considered it a “herb of the sun” with godly associations, its name commemorates Paeon the mythical physician who cured Pluto of wounds inflicted during the Trojan wars.

Passiflora (L. 1753) the hardy P. caerula (illus.) is a vigorous tendril climber bearing orange edible fruits. The passionflower depicted in Christian iconography dates back to a treatise on the cross of Calvary written by Jacomo Bosio in 1610. An Augustinian friar, Emmanuel de Villegas, arrived in Rome from Mexico with drawings of the “stupendously marvellous” flower, which Bosio included in his book to the glory of Christ. The 3 bracts at the base of the flower represent the Trinity, the 5 sepals & corresponding petals are reminiscent of the 10 Apostles, Peter & Judas being absent; the corona of blue & white threads is indicative of the crown of thorns; the 5 stamens bear witness to the wounds and the 3 styles are similar to the nails on the cross.