Herbs for a Medieval Physic Garden: Cumin (Cuminum cyminum)
Karen Cumin is a herbaceous annual native to the eastern Mediterranean east to India and has been known from ancient Egyptian times. Although there have been many claims about the medicinal…
Plants of the Bible: Mandrake ( (Mandragora officinarum aka Atropa mandragora
Also called love-apple, mandrake ( דודאים dudaim in Hebrew) is a very variable herbaceous perennial that is native to the Mediterranean area including Israel and the Levant and some soucses…
Plants of the Bible: Garlic (Allium sativum)
Native to central Asia and northeastern Iran, garlic is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, that also includes onion, leek, and shallot. Growing from a…
Plants of the Bible: 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…
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…
Plant Profile: Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)
Also known as absinthe, this wood-based subshrub is native to Mediterranean Europe, temperate regions of Asia, and northern Africa where it grows in dry open areas, often on rocky slopes.…
Plant Profile: Snowdrop Bush (Styrax officinalis)
Native to southern Europe and the Middle East, this deciduous flowering shrub grows on dry rocky slopes, wood, margins and thickets and is a member of a small family, Styracaceae.…
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″…
Plant Profile: Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)
Native to southern Europe, central and western Asia, and North Africa, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, that also includes basil, rosemary, and beebalm. Plants…
Plants of the Bible: Aloe (Aloe vera aka Aloe barbadensis)
Best known as aloe vera, this evergreen succulent perennial may be native to the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Cape Verde Islands or the Arabian Peninsula. Plants grow 2-3′ high…