Category: ROMAN EMPIRE
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HENS AND CHICKS
THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Hens and Chicks Lisa Karen Miller “Et ille hortulanus habeat super domum suam Iovis barbum.” (“And the gardener shall have house-leeks growing on his house.”) Charlemagne, first Holy Roman Emperor Hens and Chicks, or the houseleek, has a long history as a useful and attractive…
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GLADIOLUS
THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Gladiolus Lisa Karen Miller The victor steps forth, fists raised, awaiting his shower of glory. Thousands of long-stemmed flowers rain down upon him. The victor? The gladiator. The flower? The gladiolus. The Dutch version of the Roman motto “death or glory” is…
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CHARD
THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Chard Lisa Karen Miller Chard may have been grown in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon from 604-562 BCE. The Chinese were growing it in the 7th century BCE, and it remains a popular crop there. Herbalist John Gerard grew the red-stemmed variety in England in…
Folklore of Plants 