My A-Z posts this year
are based on my garden – flowers, animals, the birds and the bees, butterflies
- with a bit of poetry thrown in. For some letters I am expecting to cheat
somewhat –wishing they were here.
U – Urtica Dioica, Ulex Europaecus, Uvularia
I thought I’d be rash and grasp the nettle and use Latin
names for ‘U’
Stinging Nettles (Urtica Dioica) |
The nettle poem I've found sounds better when read aloud.
The stinging nettle’s fine hairs on the leaves and stems contain irritating chemicals which
are released when the plant comes in contact with the skin. These stinging
hairs can also be used to reduce pain in that contact reduces levels of
inflammatory chemicals in the body, and interferes with the way the body
transmits pain signals. The stinging nettle has a long medicinal history and
was used as a diuretic and for treating painful joints as early as the Middle
Ages.
I may not have been on the downs for Ulex Europaecus but
I can vouch for the pain inflicted by their bushes when trying to retrieve my golf
ball from an unplayable lie, appropriately enough in Scotland.
Here, on the downs,
as a tale re-told
The sprays of the
gorse are a-blaze with gold,
As of old, on the
sea-washed hills of my boyhood,
Breathing the same
sweet scent as of old.
As I usually spend some time in Michigan each year I feel justified in
including a North American plant.
Uvularia
covers a genus of plants which are commonly called bellworts, bellflowers
or merrybells. I must confess to
never having seen any.
Poems:
- Nettles – Vernon Scannell; video reading
- Gorse – Alfred Noyes
Photos:
- Nettles – Lis Burke – CC BY-SA 2.0
- Gorse – Roger Griffiths – Public Domain
- Uvularia grandiflora – Kurt Stuber; Wikipedia Commons – CC BY-SA 3.0
8 comments:
Hi Bob .. I provided the answer to the Wooden spoon scenario - the Mathematical Tripos! Thanks for asking though ...
I love these "U"s .. the nettle poem particularly .. I tipped my brother into a nettle patch aiming for the bonfire - no not him! .. to collect some ash probably for the roses .. the wheelbarrow tipped - and screams and yells abounded! Don't they just spring up again ..
I relate to gorse and Cornwall .. covered hillsides - gorgeous warming colours when needed - spikes when not!!
Glad you're obviously feeling a little better - cheers Hilary
Strange isn't it, that such an irritating plant as the stinging nettle can have so many beneficial effects, too. I've never been brave enough to try picking the tips and cooking them although I believe they are a good source of iron.
Ann
Lovely pictures on your post and enjoyed the poems. Very targeted and wonderful idea for posts on the A-Z.
Here's my 'snap' message. I like the details you give on the nettle. Also, that's great about the sting having some use. I always knew there was something good about every cure in nature. ;-)
Francene.
A - Z Challenge
http://francene-wordstitcher.blogspot.co.uk/
I've never used nettles either, but they are supposed to make wonderful teas and even wines (I have drunk that).
I used a non English name for my U recipe today too.
JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE
I've never seen nettles but maybe I should plant some for their beneficial side. They might make a good plant fence.
I can't understand how people manage to pick nettles for tea without getting stung. I suspect it's something to do with grasping them!
We had Stinging Nettles here for years but seem to have got rid of them all now.
We were told that Stinging Nettle Tea was good for allergies but I never tried to make it.
Post a Comment