Railway flora

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jiancing Historic Trail was established along remains of this old railroad track. Besides the tracks themselves, you may study skids, switches, trolley axles, and deserted workers’ dwellings.

Jiancing means ‘seeing the sun’. The name was possibly given due to the fact that this area is often enveloped in fog, and finally seeing the sun breaking through the fog might be relieving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures, depicting flowering specimens of this impressive plant, are shown on the page In praise of the colour yellow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In China, this species is sometimes used as a substitute for A. argyii to make moxa, which is much utilized as a healer in traditional Chinese medicine.

 

 

 

 

 

Cirsium arvense Creeping thistle, Canada thistle

This proliferous spiny herb is found in most temperate areas of Asia and Europe, and has also been accidentally spread elsewhere around the globe. It is a most troublesome weed in most cooler parts of the world. As far back as 1863, Danish research showed that a large creeping thistle can produce about 80 flowerheads in one season, and as flowerheads on average contain 120 flowers, one single plant is able to produce about 10,000 seeds per year! The invasiveness of this plant is described on the page Nature: Invasive species.

It may be separated from other thistles by the rather small purplish, violet, or pink (rarely white) flowerheads, 1-2 cm across. The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘growing in fields’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spear thistle is biennial. During the first year, it produces a leaf rosette, which overwinters and grows into a stem, up to 1.5 m tall, the following summer, displaying an abundance of beautiful red flowerheads. Despite its formidable armour of spines, this plant has been elected as the national flower of Scotland, hence another common name, Scottish thistle. Other lovers of the spear thistle include honey bees, bumble bees, and butterflies, which feed on the nectar, and various finches, including goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), linnet (Linaria cannabina), and greenfinch (Chloris chloris), which greatly appreciate the seeds.

 

 

 

 

 

Its native area is from England and Norway eastwards to eastern Siberia, southwards to the Mediterranean, Jordan, Iran, and Central Asia, growing on meagre soils, such as sandy fields and waste plots.

 

 

 

 

 

This plant contains an oil with a turpentine-like smell, which, supposedly, should deter fleas, hence its common name. Another popular name is bloodstanch, given by herbalists, who claim that an extract from leaves and flowers arrests haemorrhages from the lungs and alimentary tract.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Popular names of this plant include stinking willie and mare’s fart, alluding to the unpleasant smell of the leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

The main habitat of this plant is woodlands, but it may also be found in open areas, including forest clearings, city walls, stone fences, and along railroads. The specific name is derived from the Latin murus (‘wall’).

 

 

 

 

 

It is native to Europe, North Africa, and temperate areas of Asia, and has also become naturalized elsewhere, growing along beaches, roads, and railroads, and as a field weed.

One folk name of prickly lettuce is compass plant. The leaves of its main stem are aligned north-south, offering the least surface area to the midday sun, but the maximum area to the weaker light early and late in the day.

Incidentally, this plant was named twice by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), in 1756 as L. serriola, and in 1763 as L. scariola, derived from the Latin escarius (‘edible’). The first name is probably a misspelling, which Linnaeus then corrected in 1763. However, according to the nomenclature rules, the first published name has priority.

The name scariola was used by Englishmen at least as far back as the 1400s. According to the Oxford Dictionary, one source said: “Wylde letus hat feldman clepyn Skariole.” (“Wild lettuce have field-men (farmers) called Skariole”).

 

 

 

 

 

It grows in forests, hedges, along roads and railroads, and in fallow fields. The young leaves are edible, cooked like spinach or eaten raw in salads.

The common name stems from the 17th century, when the word nipple was regarded as being equivalent to the word papillaris, derived from the Latin papilla (‘nipple’). In Germany, followers of the Doctrine of Signatures maintained that the plant could be used to treat cracked nipples, as its flowerheads, when young, resemble nipples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Originally, sticky groundsel was a native of southern and central Europe and western Asia. Since the 1800s, it has spread considerably, mainly along railroads, and has become naturalized in northern Europe, Canada, United States, and elsewhere.

 

 

 

 

 

This species presumably originates from the Mediterranean region, but has become naturalized in most parts of the world. In Nepal, a paste of the plant is applied to wounds and boils. It is also collected for fodder, and tender parts are cooked as a vegetable.

The generic name is a Latinized form of sonkhos, the ancient Greek word for sow-thistles, whereas the specific name is Latin, meaning ‘rough’ or ‘coarse’, alluding to the prickly leaves. The common name refers to the fact that pigs like to eat these plants, and to the leaves, which resemble young thistle leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin oleris (‘edible’). Young leaves can be eaten as salad or cooked like spinach.

Other pictures, depicting this species, may be seen on the page Plants: Urban plant life.

 

 

 

 

 

The common name was adapted from Old French tanesie, which came from the Latin tanacetum, which was again adapted from Ancient Greek athanatos (‘immortal’), probably referring to its persistence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name, from the Latin tussis (’to cough’), as well as the common name coughwort, refer to the usage of the leaves against cough. The names colt’s-foot and horse-hoof were given in allusion to the shape of the leaves. An old name for the plant was Filius ante patrem (‘the son before the father’), referring to the fact that the flowers appear long before the leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When cooked, the leaves are edible, and the seeds can be consumed raw or cooked. Medicinally, it has been used for treatment of warts, ringworm, and nettle stings, and also to relieve an itchy scalp.

The generic name, as well as the popular name touch-me-not, were given in allusion to the way these plants spread their seeds. As the fruit reaches maturity, a tension builds up inside the pod, causing it to ‘explode’ when touched, hereby spreading the seeds a considerable distance.

The common name balsam is in fact a misnomer. It was adopted from the garden balsam (Impatiens balsamina), which was brought to Europe by the Portuguese in the 16th Century. Originally, balsamine was a Greek name of an unidentified plant with an aromatic oil, derived from balsamon (‘balsam’), which in the Hebrew means ‘spice’ or ‘perfume’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Around 1860, it was introduced to United States as a spice herb, and since then it has spread to most states, and to Canada as well. Its natural enemies of the Old World, such as fungi and insects, are not present in North America, which leads to a much higher seed production. Garlic mustard has invaded numerous forests, where it is able to dominate the understorey, hereby expelling native plants. It is listed as a noxious species in at least nine states in the U.S.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is adapted from a medieval name of the plant, Herba Sanctae Barbarae (’Saint Barbara’s wort’). Holy Barbara was regarded as the patron saint of artillery men and miners, and as wintercress was considered a good healer of wounds, it was named after her.

According to legend, Barbara was the daughter of a rich pagan, living in the 3rd Century. Her father kept her locked up in a tower in order to protect her from the influence of the outside world. However, she secretly became a Christian and rejected to marry the man her father presented to her.

Before going on a journey, her father ordered a private bath-house to be constructed for her near her dwelling, but during his absence, Barbara had three windows put in it, as a symbol of the Holy Trinity, instead of the two originally intended. When her father returned, she informed him that she had become a Christian. He dragged her before the prefect of the province, but, despite being cruelly tortured, she held true to her Christian faith.

At night, her prison was bathed in light, and every morning her wounds were healed. Torches that were held near her to burn her were extinguished. Finally, she was beheaded, and her father himself carried out the death sentence. As punishment, he was struck by lightning and his body consumed by flame.

Barbara was buried by a Christian, and her tomb became the site of miracles. In his book Reisebeschreibung nach Arabien und andern umliegenden Ländern (Gloyer und Oldshausen, Hamburg, 1837, in English Travels Through Arabia and Other Countries in the East, Performed by M. Niebuhr, Gale Ecco, 2018), German cartographer and mathematician Carsten Niebuhr relates that he was shown her grave in the church of the village Karmelis, near Mosul, northern Iraq, in 1766. Some nearby ruins were said to have been her father’s palace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It resembles several other bellflower species, but can be identified by its long, one-sided inflorescence. It grows in rather open, partly shaded areas, including forest edges, roadsides, hedgerows, and along railways, and it often occurs in gardens as a weed. The tuberous root is edible, with a taste similar to parsnip. In the past, its young leaves were eaten as salad in the Nordic countries.

Other bellflower species are presented on the pages Plants: Flora of the Alps and the Pyrenees, and In praise of the colour blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from the Greek keras (‘horn’), alluding to the horn-shaped capsules, which protrude from the calyx.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stem is twining in a counter-clockwise direction, reaching a length of up to 3 m. The leaves are alternate, dull green above, paler below, arrow-shaped, simple, to 10 cm long and 7 cm wide, flowers trumpet-shaped, to 7 cm long, white in most subspecies, although an American subspecies, americana, has a white and pink corolla, much like the cultivated hairy bindweed (C. pulchra). It is distributed across southern Canada and the eastern half of the United States, replaced by other subspecies further west.

Due to its vigorous growth, hedge bindweed is regarded as a pest in many places.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘growing in hedges’, alluding to this plant being common in hedges.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin arvus (‘cultivated’), thus ‘growing in cultivated fields’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greek scholar Theophrastos (c. 371-287 B.C.) and Greek physician, pharmacologist, and botanist Pedanius Dioscorides (died 90 A.D.), who was the author of De Materia Medica, five volumes dealing with herbal medicine, both maintained that the rhizome of common male fern would expel intestinal worms. English herbalist John Gerard (c. 1545-1612) writes: “The roots of the male fern, being taken in the weight of half an ounce, driveth forth long flat worms, as Dioscorides writeth, being drunke in mede or honied water, and more effectually if it be given with two scruples, or two third parts of a dram of scammonie, or of black hellebore: they that will use it, must first eat garlicke.”

In 1855, Swiss apothecary M. Peschier states that by digesting buds of common male fern in sulphuric ether, and using this tincture against tapeworms, they were killed with constant success. (Source: M. Peschier 1855. Bibliothèque Universelle de Genève, XXX, p. 205)

The pounded rhizome has the same effect. Due to the great toxicity of this drug, it is only used nowadays, when alternative drugs are inadequate. A decoction of the rhizome has also been used to treat certain fungal infections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This perennial, with ascending or upright stems, varies from dwarf plants 5 cm tall to shrubby herbs that may reach a height of 40 cm. Basal leaves often have only a terminal elliptic leaflet, to 8 cm long, lateral leaflets 1-4 pairs, much reduced in size, or often missing. Stem leaves have 2-7 pairs of leaflets, ovate, elliptic, or lanceolate, lateral ones to 2.5 cm long and 8 mm wide, terminal leaflet to 6 cm long and 2 cm wide, rounded.

The inflorescence is a compact flowerhead with numerous flowers, to 1.9 cm long, golden-yellow in most subspecies, occasionally whitish, orange, or red. The white-haired calyx is inflated, with uneven teeth. The pod is ovoid, hairy, dark, one-seeded.

This plant is distributed in the entire Europe, eastwards to the Ural Mountains, southwards to northern Africa and Iran, with an isolated occurrence in Ethiopian mountains, growing in dry grasslands and coastal dunes, along roads and embankments, and in other disturbed areas, preferably on calcareous soils, from the lowland up to alpine regions.

The specific name is derived from the Latin vulnus (‘wound’), alluding to the former usage of the plant for healing wounds. It was also used for cough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, white melilot is not cultivated on a larger scale. Nevertheless, it has become widely naturalized in most temperate and subtropical areas of the world, especially in abandoned lots and along newly established roads.

The generic name is derived from the Latin mel (‘honey’) and lotus (a plant of the pea family), which, like the common name sweet clover, refers to the sweet smell of the plant, and to the fact that it is an excellent honey plant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is native from the British Isles eastwards to the Ural Mountains, and from northern Europe southwards to northern and eastern Africa, Arabia, Iran, and Afghanistan, growing in grasslands, fields, forest edges, wastelands, and along roads. The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘growing in fields’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In former days, this species was known as Saint Robert’s herb, like the specific name referring to French abbot and herbalist Robert de Molesme (c. 1028-1111), one of the founders of the Cistercian Order. He used it to cure people, suffering from various diseases, including diarrhea, liver and gall bladder problems, toothache, and wounds. American native tribes also utilized it medicinally.

In his booklet Chrut und Uchrut (in English called Weeds – a useful booklet on medicinal herbs), from 1911, Swiss priest and herbalist Johann Künzle (1857-1945) states the following: “The application of Herb Robin is also very effective against abscesses and inflammations of cattle. Glory be to God.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It grows in open areas, including fallow fields, along hedges, and on the inner part of beaches. Stem to 1 m long, erect or ascending, leaves roundish, toothed, with 5-7 lobes, flowers in axillary clusters, petals pale violet or bright pinkish-purple with darker veins.

Several places around the Mediterranean, the leaves are steamed with garlic and tomatoes, eaten as an appetizer or a salad. In Egypt, the leaves are made into a stew-like vegetable dish, known as khobeiza. The leaves were also eaten as a vegetable in Europe in the 19th Century. The flowers were spread on doorways and woven into garlands for celebrating May Day.

In traditional medicine, the seeds were taken internally in tea to relieve irritation or inflammation of the mucous membranes, and the leaves were used in a poultices to soften the skin. A yellow dye can be obtained from the plant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is distributed in temperate regions, from Europe eastwards across Asia to China and Japan, and also in Arabia and large parts of Africa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name means ‘resembling linum’ (flax). The leaves of some species of toadflax superficially resemble those of flax. The specific name means ‘creeping’, which is somewhat misleading, as the plant is often erect. The common name striped refers to the purple stripes on the whitish flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In China and Taiwan, the seeds are an ingredient in a green type of sticky rice dumplings, called qingtuan, which are consumed during the Qing Ming Festival (‘tomb-sweeping’). This festival is described on the page Culture: Graves.

The specific name is derived from the Latin murus (‘wall’), alluding to the fact that this plant often grows along stone fences and house walls.

 

 

 

 

 

It is a small grass, growing to a maximum of 25 cm tall, but often much lower. It is a very common weed in trampled places, such as trails and in cities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common sorrel has been cultivated for centuries. The leaves are full of vitamin C. They are edible when young, and are often used in salads, and applied to soups, sauces, or curries.

The common name sorrel is an old word for a brownish-orange to pale chestnut colour, referring to the brown fruits of the genus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This pioneer plant grows in open forests, shrubberies, and fallow lands, especially on nitrogen-rich soils. It is distributed in central and southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, eastwards to Afghanistan. Elsewhere, it is widely cultivated, often escaping to form naturalized growths. In New Zealand, it has been declared an unwanted organism. In the Alps and the Pyrenees, it may be encountered up to elevations around 1,300 m.

It contains the toxic protoanemonin, which may cause reddening and itching of the skin. In the past, beggars smeared juice of the leaves on the skin to cause ulcerations, which might arouse pity in people. In Tuscany, spring sprouts were formerly used in a certain kind of omelettes, called vitalbini, which was maybe not so wise due to its toxicity.

Baskets were produced from the tough stems. In the Alps, in former days, children would smoke dry stems as cigarettes.

The specific name is the Italian name of the plant. In England, the name traveller’s joy was given in allusion to the profusion of pleasant feathery seedheads of this plant in the dark months leading up to Christmas. The name old man’s beard also refers to the seedheads. An old German folk name was Teufelzwirn (‘devil’s twine’), referring to its toxicity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his delightful book All about Weeds, American botanist Edwin Spencer (1881-1964) has the following comment about this plant: “When one walks into some loose, trailing weeds, and they all seem glad to be torn from their roots in order to ride away clinging to his trousers, he has made contact with one of the many bedstraws (…) but if the stems cling to the clothing, the chances are that the find is one of two of them, Galium aparine or Galium asprillum. These are the two with the rough stems – the two that have this unique way of scattering their seeds. For of course those straws cling to the sheep’s wool and the dog’s hair just as they do to clothing, and sometimes they and their seeds are carried a long way by animals.”

Cleavers is also known by many other names, which allude to is hooked seeds and its scrambling habit, including catchweed, sticky bob, robin-run-the-hedge, and sticky willy.

This species is native to the major part of Europe, North Africa, and Temperate Asia, eastwards to Japan. It may also be indigenous in North America, and has become naturalized in Mexico, Central America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Africa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An example of the effective spreading of sycamore maple is seen in nature reserve Vorsø, Horsens Fjord, Denmark, where former fields were abandoned in two steps, in 1928 and in 1978. In both cases, thousands of maple seeds, stemming from a few trees in plantations at the edge of the fields, were spread by the wind. The succession of these maple forests is described in detail on the page Nature Reserve Vorsø: Expanding wilderness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is of unknown origin. It may stem from the Latin verb solare (’to soothe’), referring to the medical properties of some nightshade species. Their usage in folk medicine is described on the page Plants: Plants in folklore and poetry.