Plant Profile: Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum)
Karen Alexanders is a biennial herb native to the Mediterranean region and known to the ancient Greeks. It grows wild in many parts of Europe and was introduced into England by…
Plant Profile: Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
Comfrey is coarse perennial herb native to Europe and Asia where it inhabits rich moist soils. It is a member of the borgage family (Boraginaceae) along with forget-me-not, lungwort and…
Plant Profile: Borage (Borago officinalis)
Borage is an annual herb native to south eastern Turkey but has naturalized in the Mediterranean area, North America, and parts of Europe. The Romans fed it to gladiators and…
Plant Profile: Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi)
Originally from the Mediterranean region this annual is widely grown in India, Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. It is a member of the parsley family (Apiaceae) and related to…
Plant Profile: Black Cumin (Nigella sativa)
Native to parts of Asia, this annual herb is also known as black caraway, fennel flower, nutmeg flower, and Roman coriander, but these names are generally misleading and do not…
Plant Profile: Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
To most gardeners dandelions are pesky weeds but to herbalists they are valuable plants. As early as the tenth-century, Arabian physicians mentioned the plant and by the sixteenth century British…
Plant Profile: Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacornus)
Also called water flag, this herbaceous perennial is a beardless rhizomatous iris native to the wetlands of Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa. It is a member of the iris…
Plant Profile: Yellow Gentian (Gentiana lutea)
Yellow gentian, also called Bitterroot, has been around a long time. It was named for a 2nd century Illyrian king who is said to have used it to reduce fevers…
Plant Profile: Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
Coltsfoot is not the most popular medicinal herb but it may be the oddest; it produces its flowers long before it produces leaves but doesn’t produce any stem leaves. In…
Plant Profile: False Hellebore (Veratrum viride)
False hellebore is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the Melanthiaceae family that also includes Trillium. It is native to eastern and western North America and grows in wet…