Plant Profile: Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum)
Karen Also called love-apple, mandrake is a very variable herbaceous perennial that is native to the Mediterranean area including Israel and the Levant and some sourses would classsify mandrakes in the…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Lantana (Lantana camara)
Lantana camara is a perennial evergreen shrub native to tropical Central and South America but has been planted as an ornamental for its very attractive flowers. It spread to Europe,…
Plant Profile: Wild Rose (Rosa gallica)
Rosa gallica is native to southern and central Europe eastward toward Turkey and the Caucasus and was first domesticated by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Most modern roses can trace…
Plants of the Bible: Box (Buxus sp.)
Box is a slowgrowing evergreen shrub or small tree with small leaves and clusters of small yellow-green, apetalous male and female flowers in the leaf axils of the same plant.…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wine: Strong Mead
Although mead is not considered a wine it is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with possible additions of fruit, spices. grains or hops. It dates back to 7000…
Plant Profile: Horsemint (Mentha longifolia)
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…
Weeds and Their Control: Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)
Amur honeysuckle is a deciduous shrub and a member of the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, that also includes snowberry, weigelia, and abelia. It is native to eastern and central Asia but…
Plant Profile: Apple (Malus domestica aka M. pumila)
The domestic apple is a deciduous tree native to central Asia and has been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe. It is a member of the rose…
Plants of the Bible: Rue (Ruta graveolens)
Also called herb of grace, rue is an evergreen mounding subshrub native to the Balkan Peninsula where it grows on dry hillsides, often on limestone. The ancient Greeks used rue…
Edible Mushrooms: Fairy Ring Champignon (Marasmius oreades)
Also known as Scotch bonnet, fairy ring champignon are well known in Europe and North America where they appear in rings, troops, or arcs from late spring to fall in…