Category: NATIVE AMERICANS
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MONARDA
THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Bee Balm (Monarda) Lisa Karen Miller I never knew what that very specific yet unfamiliar flavor was in Earl Grey tea until I began to be interested in gardening and herbs. It is bergamot orange, a citrus fruit whose oil lends a particular bite to…
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BUCKEYE
THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Buckeye Lisa Karen Miller I remember carrying a buckeye in my pocket when I was young, but I was never clear on why. Turns out the nuts of Aesculus glabra were meant to attract good fortune. Can’t say for sure it worked, though I…
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GOLDENROD
THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Goldenrod Lisa Karen Miller The common plant that serves as Kentucky’s state flower was once terribly expensive in England because it was imported from the Middle East. When a walker on Hampstead Heath in London noticed it growing wild, its price dropped overnight from half…
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SQUASH
THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Squash Lisa Karen Miller There once was a family with three daughters, who were always arguing among themselves and had to be reminded constantly to help their parents. The eldest sister was tall and slender with long, yellow, silky hair. The middle sister was of…
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MESQUITE
THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Mesquite Lisa Karen Miller Pima Indians called it the Tree of Life. Across the world in Bahrain, there is a 400-year-old specimen that also bears that name. It lives near the highest point in the country, far from any water source. The Tohono O’odham…
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MAPLE
THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Maple Lisa Karen Miller It was once thought that any child who was passed through the middle of a split maple was assured a long life. One specimen in West Grinstead Park in West Sussex, England, was in constant use for this purpose. When its…
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CORN
THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Corn Lisa Karen Miller The Maya believed that humans had been fashioned from corn. Mayan mothers would pinch and rub their newborns’ heads to create the shape of an ear of corn. As adults, this enhanced not only their appearance, but their status in the…
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CEDAR
THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Cedar Lisa Karen Miller Between 1925 and 2004, an estimated 27 million miniature cedar chests were given to graduating high school girls through The Lane Company’s Girl Graduate Plan. I still have mine. Company lore says that employees started making these as a…
