Monday 11 June 2012

How to find the juicy red wort

A quick note to tell you that I searched online for images of St. John's wort, or hypericum perforatum, so that I can recognise the plant in the woods. Most of the pictures I found showed bright yellow flowers, not red. I wondered where the "juicy red" reference in the fifteenth-century poem (see post below) came from. Another quick google, and it appears St. John's wort flowers have red buds and seed-heads. When crushed, the flowers leave blood-red "juice" behind. Just in case you want to make a magic necklace of your own, like I do, to rub all over your lintel for luck.

1 comment:

  1. Disappointment! Took a tour of the woods around a lake where SJW was supposed to be (well, according to a botanical map I found from 1899). Must remember to use updated info next time. Didn't find a thing.

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