06Apr 2017 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Does Pineapple Weed or Wild Chamomile Grow in Your Lawn?

Chemistry, Plants
[caption id="attachment_17548" align="alignright" width="440"] Mystery plant. Image S. Korte.[/caption] I take a measure of pride in being able to identify various tiny weeds in the spring of the year. Pointing them out to a car-group of friends, one of them adventured out on their own and brought back a tiny plant I felt sure I could make quick work of. But the little plant, with its almost lacy leaves and tiny egg-shaped yellow ‘flower’ mystified me completely. I sniffed it and detected a most unusual odor that nevertheless was not unpleasant. It resembled a cross between a tiny evergreen tree and an egg or pineapple. It was not a pineapple, but it was wild chamomile or the pineapple weed (Matricaria discoidea). Research cited below, by Daise Lopes & Paul P.…
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09Mar 2017 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Bird’s Eye or Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica)

Medicine, Plants
Birdseye Speedwell, also known as Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica), is a little blue, unobtrusive yet attractive blue flower with a white center. It has darker blue parallel markings from the center to the tips of each petal. The reason these beautiful flowers tend to go unnoticed is their diminutive size. They grow as weeds in your lawn. Get Acquainted with Veronica There are descriptive details for the Speedwell provided on line—its structure, growth habits, even its eradication—but little is spoken of its proven usefulness or its chemistry. Legend (if you will) has it that the little blue-and-white flower is helpful in treating a plethora of ailments, but especially in relaxing tense muscles in the neck and shoulder area and in treating skin rashes. Rich in Glycosides [caption id="attachment_16381" align="alignright" width="230"]…
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13Apr 2015 by Vincent Summers 10 Comments

You Can Eat Onion Grass

Food
Some plants aren't what their name suggests they are. For instance, reindeer (or caribou) moss is really a form of lichens. Or take the blackberry lily. It is really an iris. Again, the may apple does not grow in May on a tree, but is a small plant seen often in April that is only about a foot tall! Then there's onion grass. When I was a youngster (this was in the 1950s to 1960s), we used to pull onion grass and sniff it. I'm not certain what the thrill was in this, but it was a ritual that had to be engaged in by all. We'd pretend we were going to eat the stuff. But is it possible to eat onion grass and not get sick? What's in a…
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