Plants of the Bible: Horsemint (Mentha longifolia)
Karen Also called wild mint, this herbaceous perennial is native to moist and wet habitats of Europe, western and central Asia, and southern and northern parts of Africa. Plants rapidly grow…
Plants of Colonial Williamsburg: English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia aka L. officinalis)
Although known as English lavender this strongly aromatic shrub is not native to England but to the western Mediterranean especially the Pyrenees and northern mountains of Spain. It is a…
Plants of the Bible: Fitch (Nigella sativa)
Native to parts of Asia, this annual herb is also known as black cumin, black caraway, fennel flower, nutmeg flower, and Roman coriander. The plants grow 12-18″ tall from a…
Plants of the Bible: Pomegranate (Punica granatum)
A native Iran and Iraq, the pomegranate is a deciduous tree or shrub that has been grown since ancient times and is widely cultivated for the juicy seeds of its…
Gardens in Art: Lovers in the Garden
This manuscript illumination by Pietro Crescenzi show two lovers siting on a turf bench inside an enclosed garden. The garden has high walls that provides both protection and privacy. The…
Plants of the Bible: Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
Originally native to south Asia, cucumber has been cultivated for at least 3,000 years. It is an annual creeping vine with hairy stems carrying hairy triangular leaves on long petioles.…
Plants of the Bible: Corncockle (Agrostemma githago)
Corncockle is an upright annual native to Europe where it grows in disturbed sites such as fields and roadsides. It was considered a weed of wheat fields until the twentieth…
Plants of Colonial Williamsburg: Sweet Marjoram (Origanum majorana aka Majorana hortensis)
A native of North Africa and Southwest Asia, marjoram is a tender perennial and a member of the mint family, Labiatae, that also includes basil, rosemary and beebalm. Plants form…
Plants of the Bible: Spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi)
Also called nard, nardin and muskroot, this aromatic herbaceous perennial is native to the montane and subalpine zones of the Himalayas where it grows on steep, grassy slopes. Growing 4-20″…
Plants of the Bible: Myrrh Tree(Commiphora abyssinic)
This woody perennial tree or shrub is native to northeast Africa and the Arabian peninsula and is a member of the Torchwood family, Burseraceae, that also includes frankincense. Plants may…