#cherry mayapple

[ad-caelestia]

common toxic plants

[long post; updated 12.8.24]

this is not a complete list by any means, but these commonly noted plants, herbs, and flowers should be handled with care or avoided altogether. 

aconite (wolfsbane, monkshood) - all parts: dermatoxic, hepatotoxic, and neurotoxic

adam and eve (jack-in-the-pulpit, wild arum) - root: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic if ingested

african sumac - leaves: dermatoxic; possibly fatal

agave - juice: dermatoxic  

angel’s trumpet - all parts: cardiotoxic; often fatal

apple - seeds: cytotoxic in large doses

apricot - leaves and seeds: cytotoxic in large doses

arnica - gastrotoxic 

asparagus - berries: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic if ingested

azalea - all parts: cytotoxic and neurotoxic; rarely fatal

betel nut palm (pinyang) - all parts: gastrotoxic if ingested

bittersweet nightshade - all parts: neurotoxic and gastrotoxic; rarely fatal

black hellebore - all parts: cardiotoxic and gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

black locust (false acacia) - root bark and flowers: gastrotoxic

black nightshade - all parts except ripe fruit: neurotoxic and gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

bleeding heart - leaves and roots: neurotoxic

bloodroot - rhizomes: cytotoxic

blue passion flower (common passion flower) - leaves: cytotoxic

bracken - all parts: carcinogenic

buttercup - all parts: gastrotoxic and dermatoxic 

calabar bean (ordeal beans) - seeds: neurotoxic and gastrotoxic if ingested in large doses

cassava - leaves and roots: cytotoxic in large doses

castor bean (castor oil plant) - seeds: cytotoxic if ingested or inhaled

celandine - nephrotoxic 

cherry - leaves and seeds: cytotoxic in large doses

christmas rose - all parts: gastrotoxic

cocklebur - seedlings and seeds: gastrotoxic and neurotoxic

columbine - seeds and roots: cardiotoxic; easily fatal

corn lily (false hellebore) - all parts: cardiotoxic; often fatal

cowbane (water hemlock, snakeweed) - root: neurotoxic if ingested

daffodil - bulbs and stems: gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

datura/moonflower - all parts: gastrotoxic and cardiotoxic

deadly nightshade (belladonna) - all parts: cardiotoxic and neurotoxic; often fatal

desert rose (sabi star, kudu) - sap: cardiotoxic with skin contact

dumbcane - all parts: dermatoxic; possibly fatal

elder (elderberry) - root: gastrotoxic

elephant ear (angel wings) - all parts: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic

ergot - neurotoxic 

foxglove - leaves, seeds, and flowers: cardiotoxic; often fatal

garlic - all parts: gastrotoxic in animals

giant hogweed - all parts: dermatoxic

golden chain - all parts, especially seeds: neurotoxic and gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

goldenseal - all parts: gastrotoxic and neurotoxic in large doses

grapes/raisins - all parts: gastrotoxic in dogs

greater celandine - all parts: gastrotoxic in large doses

hemlock (spotted cowbane, poison snakeweed) - all parts: neurotoxic; possibly fatal

hemlock water dropwort - roots: neurotoxic if ingested; possibly fatal

henbane - all parts: neurotoxic and cardiotoxic

holly - berries: gastrotoxic

honeybush - all parts: gastrotoxic

honeysuckle - berries: gastrotoxic in mild cases and cardiotoxic in severe cases

horse chestnut - all parts: neurotoxic

hyacinth - bulbs: gastrotoxic and neurotoxic; possibly fatal

iris - rhizomes: gastrotoxic and dermatoxic 

kava kava - nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic 

kidney bean - raw: gastrotoxic

larkspur - young plants and seeds: neurotoxic; often fatal

lemon - oil: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic to animals  

lily - all parts: nephrotoxic

lily of the nile (calla lily) - all parts: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic if ingested; possibly fatal

lily of the valley - all parts: cardiotoxic; possibly fatal

lima beans - raw: gastrotoxic

lime - oil: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic in animals

lobelia - all parts: gastrotoxic 

mandrake - roots and leaves: gastrotoxic and neurotoxic

mango - peel and sap: dermatoxic

mangrove - bark and sap: dermatoxic and eye irritation

mayapple - all green parts and unripe fruit: gastrotoxic

meadow saffron (autumn crocus) - bulbs: gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

mistletoe - leaves and berries: gastrotoxic, cardiotoxic, and neurotoxic; rarely lethal in adults

moonseed - fruits and seeds: gastrotoxic; often fatal

mountain laurel - all green parts: gastrotoxic

nutmeg - raw: psychoactive in large doses

oak - leaves and acorns: gastrotoxic; rarely fatal

odollam tree (suicide tree) - seeds: cardiotoxic; often fatal

oleander - all parts: dermatoxic, cardiotoxic, and gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

onions - all parts: gastrotoxic in animals

orange - oil: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic in animals

peach - seeds and leaves: cytotoxic in large doses

periwinkle (vinca) - all parts: neurotoxic and potentially fatal

pokeweed - leaves, berries, and roots: gastrotoxic; often fatal

poison ivy/oak/sumac - all parts, especially leaves: dermatoxic; possibly fatal

poison ryegrass (darnel) - seeds: neurotoxic

potato - raw: cytotoxic

privet - berries and leaves: neurotoxic and gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

ragwort - all parts: hepatotoxic

redoul - all parts: gastrotoxic, neurotoxic, and causes respiratory issues; can be fatal in children

rhubarb - leaves: nephrotoxic

rosary pea - seeds: neurotoxic and gastrotoxic; often fatal

skullcap - hepatotoxic

spindle (spindle tree) - fruit: hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic; possibly fatal  

stinging tree (gympie gympie) - bark and sap: dermatoxic; sometimes fatal

strychnine tree - seeds: neurotoxic; often fatal

sweet pea - seeds: neurotoxic and damaging to connective tissues

tomato - leaves and stems: cytotoxic in large doses

uva ursi - neurotoxic, dermatoxic 

white baneberry (doll’s eyes) - all parts, especially berries: cardiotoxic; possibly fatal

white snakeroot - all parts: gastrotoxic; often fatal

winter cherry (jerusalem cherry) - all parts, especially berries: gastrotoxic; occasionally fatal, especially to children

wisteria - gastrotoxic

yew (english yew, common yew) - leaves and seeds: gastrotoxic if ingested and respiratory issues if inhaled

glossary: 

carcinogenic - a substance that can cause cancer

cardiotoxic - toxic to the heart

cytotoxic - toxic to living cells

dermatoxic - toxic to the skin

gastrotoxic - toxic to the gastrointestinal system (stomach, intestines, etc.)

hepatotoxic - toxic to the liver

nephrotoxic - toxic to the kidneys and urological system (ureters, bladder)

neurotoxic - toxic to the neurological system (brain, nerves, brainstem, spinal cord, etc.)

psychoactive - pertaining to substances that change brain function and result in alterations in perception, mood, or consciousness

© 2024 ad-caelestia

[tree-of-growth]

Tree of Growth Members Masterlist

Tree of Growth Members:

(As of October 15th, 2024)

The Prophets:

Green Apple: @muppetappleanon

(Secret Blog: @murielsangelsdreams )

Red Apple: @lifedoesntdiscriminate (inactive)

The Ring:

Lemon: @lemon-frog-tog

Persimmon: @kermitthetankengineno1fan

Grape: @the-grape-guy

Fig: @figfiggyfigure

Lychee: @stardustsomewhere

Ripe:

Tangerine: @topnotchtangerine

Blueberry: @got-the-blues-berries (Inactive. Is now a Mormon?)

Date: @datecrazy

Cherry: @cheery-cherry-cherub

Cherry Tomato/Shrimp Man: @tomatoes-r-a-fruit and @manofshrimp

Mulberry: @muppetjokernum8ereightfan

Cranberry/Sprite Cranberry: @cransprite

Custard Apple

Unripe:

Blackberry/Blackberry Steve: @unripe-blackberry

Blackberry 2(3?): @catinavatofacid

Starfruit: @squireofthegrove

Pear: @mostcodesareciphers

Pumpkin: @brotherpumpkin

Avocado 1/Charlie: @avocadowarrior

Açai: @acaianon

Cantaloupe/Bumble Guy:

Avocado 2: @controversialcoven

Orange: @orangeseadreams

Honeydew:

Strawberry/Dortie

Mayapple

Nectarine

Mango 2

Beautyberry

Chokeberry

Fruits Unbestowed (Also Unripe):

holeymoley: @hole-lay-moley

Shenna

Slotharmy

Teri

Bob

No.5

Amysky21

Mak

Berry temporary: @the-unnamed-fruit

Kirbo

Dylicious2026

Thegracespace

Pasta

Tempuraaaa

Fella

Rotten:

Peach: @satan666blunt710smoker

Grape 2: @olipopsoda

Decay:

Grapefruit: @grapefruide

Mango 1: @catcada

Kiwi: @the-muppet-joker (I am placing him here for his crimes)

Please let me know if you are a member and would like your blog attached / unattached / if this needs fixing.

Also from now on I’m just going to put this list in my pinned post and will be updating it from there <3

[blackswallowtailbutterfly]

My Garden Flowers Part 8

All photos mine.

In order of appearance:

211. White Avens (Geum canadense) This was here before I got there and as she's native she survived the purge I did of the weeds.

212. Orange Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida) I didn't plant this, but she's in lots of places now and she's not always this orange, often leaning more toward amber, but she is always very pretty.

213. Tall White Lettuce (Prenanthes altissima) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

214. American Red Raspberry (Rubus strigosus) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

215. Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

216. Barren Strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides) The leaves look a lot like strawberry leaves, the flowers look like if strawberry flowers were yellow, and they make a red berry! But it tastes woody and bland. Hence the name. I still want to make a jam of them if I ever get enough of them, though.

217. Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia ceaspitosa) Don't mind the bull thistle behind it that I wasn't able to remove, but the foliage of the grass is a nice blue-green and the flowers are, well, tufts.

218. Largeflower Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) The flowers are always bowed as if wilting. They're springtime flowers only.

219. Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) One of the only two Impatiens species native this far north. The flowers of this one are orange. She likes moist to wet spots and can handle full sun to full shade.

220. Fringed Loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata) Yellow flowers in summer, dark red leaves in autumn.

221. Thicket Creeper (Parthenocissus vitacea) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

222. Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

223. Black Cherry (Prunus nigra) Not pictured as I haven't got pictures yet.

224. Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricata) A sunflower that can handle shade! Not heavy shade, but a considerable amount.

225. Fringed Willowherb (Epilobium ciliatum) I didn't plant this, but she has cute tiny flowers and she has tasty leaves.

226. Starry False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum stellatum) Little star-shaped white flowers become candy-striped red berries.

227. Narrow-Leaved Wild Leek (Allium burdickii) Like her close cousin, A. tricoccum, she only matures enough to flower after seven years, so this is special.

228. Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

229. Common Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris vulgaris) A common garden weed but she's native to my range of acceptability for my garden, so she stays wherever she's not in the way.

230. Bog Bean (Menyanthes trifoliata) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

231. Red Wakerobin (Trillium erectum) Her stem broke the first year I had her. I was afraid she'd die but I was able to splint her and she survived to flower again the following year for this picture!

232. Marsh Violet (Viola palustris) Small round leaves grow close to the ground and flowers come up on stalks a few inches above. As the name suggests she prefers things wet.

233. Duck Potato (Saggittaria latifolia) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

234. Purple avens (Geum rivale) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

235. Maypop (Passiflora incarnata) I got two cultivars and they sadly didn't survive the winter. Maybe the wild type would fare better if I could get my hands on that.

236. American Bur-Reed (Sparganium americanum) Fluffy ball flowers. She likes things moist to wet.

237. Heart-Leaved Alexanders (Zizia aptera) She's not quite as showy as her cousin, Zizia aurea, but a nice little plant in a moist to wet area.

238. Canada Burnet (Sanguisorba canadensis) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

239. Oval-Leaved Milkweed (Asclepias ovalifolia) Her second flowering year. She's considerably shorter than most milkweeds. Her cream-coloured flowers are a lovely addition to a garden. Especially if you're tempted to get the white cultivar of swamp milkweed, oval-leaf milkweed also likes wet areas and is well-behaved. Why not get her instead?

240. Redbud (Cercis canadensis) Not pictured as I haven't got pictures yet.

[rjzimmerman]

This tiny flower teaches us all we need to know about growing old. (Washington Post Opinion)

For most of my life, I marked the progress of spring by its blooms. First came the crocuses of February and the daffodils of March, followed, in quick succession, by the tulips and hyacinth, the lilac and flowering cherry and the saucer magnolias. Later, the azaleas would explode in a pink and red riot — and, before long, the peonies would unfurl to proclaim the approach of summer. Each arrival announced itself with a spectacular burst of color and, often, a sweet perfume that filled the yard.

But lately I’ve come to share the view of Wendy Cass, the head botanist at Shenandoah National Park, when she sees a waving clump of daffodils.

“Boring,” she says.

What I had been watching all those years was spring as humans made it. This year, I’m experiencing spring as God made it.

Those tulips, lilacs and all the rest were imported from Europe and Asia, curated and genetically manipulated by humans so they would grow with no effort and display improbably sweet and showy blooms. They are beautiful, no question, and I will always smile when I see a host of golden daffodils as Wordsworth did, “Beside the lake, beneath the trees/ Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”

But this year, I’ve instead been walking in the still-bare forest and looking for Dutchman’s breeches.

In case you are wondering why some European left his pants in the woods, let me explain that the Dutchman’s breeches is my new favorite flower. Its bloom, just a half-inch tall, looks like an upside-down pair of white pantaloons, belted at the waist with a yellow rope. Native to this part of the eastern United States, it’s one of the first wildflowers of spring, popping up in late March or early April, flowering for a couple of weeks and disappearing as quickly as it came. Its entire growing season — from the time its first green shoot emerges from the earth to the moment its last bit of green foliage dies for the year — is just a couple of months.

Yet so much life comes from those delicate trousers. It’s one of the first foods in the forest after a long winter, and a crucial bit of sustenance for the queen bumblebee. When she emerges from her overwintering nest in the ground (the other bees die during the winter), she stretches her long tongue into the Dutchman’s breeches to reach its nectar, which nourishes her as she lays the eggs that will replenish the colony with the next generation of workers.

The Dutchman’s breeches are part of a class of plants felicitously known as “spring ephemerals.” They appear on the forest floor before the trees have leafed out, taking advantage of the sunlight. They flower, go to seed and die back within just six to 12 weeks. These are flowers you generally won’t find at florists: They are bluebells and bloodroot, trout lilies and toothwort, spring beauties and rue anemone. They are joined by other flowers that, while not “true” ephemerals (their foliage lasts a bit longer), generally share the same category: the great white trillium, hepatica, star chickweed and mayapple.

They are notoriously difficult to cultivate, hard to transplant and even harder to grow from seeds. It can take seven years from the time a trillium seed is planted to the appearance of just one of its three-petal flowers. Ephemerals are finicky and fussy plants, growing only in forests and typically near streams. They aren’t as bold and colorful as garden-variety flowers, and most don’t even have a scent. You won’t spot spring ephemerals from your car window with an “ooh” and an “ah.” To find them, you have to go on a treasure hunt in the forest. Their flowers can be tiny — sometimes just a millimeter or two — and you could easily miss them if you don’t look carefully.

That is just the point.

[dansnotavampire]

Yes! The plant list is as follows, though I haven't checked the regions of said plants, and cannot confirm its actual complete-ness

1. Datura Stramonium

2. Erythronium americanum (yellow trout lily)

3. Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (cinnamon fern)

4. Lobelia

5. Oak

6. Spanish moss

7. Moonflower (a species of cactus that flowers for only one night) (Wait nvm this is also a datura nickname. hm)

8. Chrysogonum virginianum (green-and-golds)

9. False Hellebore (Veratrum)

10. Hellborus Niger (Christmas Rose, mentioned by mabel when vera announces her chosen name)

11. Violets

12. Yew

13. Opium Poppies

14. Brugmansia

15. Aconite/Wolfsbane

16. Figs

17. Pomegranate

18. Crabgrass

19. Nightshade (Assumedly Atropa Belladonna, but potentially also woody nightshade, as both are poisonous)

20. Bird of Paradise

21. Magnolia

22. Black Walnut

23. Fir

24. Juniper

25. Opium Poppy

26. Lily of the Valley

27. Ivy

28. Dahlia

29. Bulrush

30. Sloes

31. Hazel

32a. Mayapple

b. Trailing Arbutus

33. Rowan

34. Black cherry

35. Spider orchid

36. Sphagnum Moss

37. Dandelion

38. Clematis

Where does the Mabel podcast take place? The wiki says kings county but there’s several kings counties in the US… I want the flora and fauna in my art to be regionally accurate pls help!!

[hoples]

Okay, I little bit procrastinated on uploading the last part of the Hurt/Comfort meme ships.

First two are AU that lovely @kalybaly created for Nefarious.

And then we have lovely Canon pair of Nefarious Mayapple (who is true Bi icon) and Malice

(I have one more for this meme, but idk if I will ever finish it XD)

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Nefarious: Fall of villainy

(A nefarious Fanfic Ive been having in the works, here is part one)

All was peaceful in Macro city, a certain brown haired princess had made plans to have a civil dinner with her (villainous) girlfriend, for there one year aniversary. The princess dawned her usual princess gown and crown, but was wearing a golden necklace that her lady gave her a while back. The table was set, the guards and servants and left the room. Princess Mayapple was content with the set up.

In a poof of smoke she appeared. The horned sorceress had appeared. Malice was in the building.

“Good evening my sweet Cherry.” The sorceress greeted with a flirtatious smile.

She was wearing her usual blue jumpsuit and usual makeup, but there was a necklace that hung around her neck, one that cherry had bought her shortly after she gave the princess a necklace.

“Your timing is impeccable, I just finished setting up everything.”  Mayapple smiled as she hugged her girlfriend.

Malice returned the hug and looked at the food.

“Veggie stirfry?” Malice asked.

“With curry sauce, just the way you like it.”

Malice gave her a peck on the cheek.

“You know me so well.”

The two make there way to the table. Malice reveals she brought wine, specifically from the demon country. They knew how to make a flavorful wine for any occasion.

“Where did you find that? Ive tried getting some for a while.” Mayapple questioned.

“Cant reveal all my secrets love.” Malice winked just before pouring both of them a cup.

Malice sat down and raised her glass.

“Happy anniversary Cherry dear.”

“Happy anniversary Mally bear.” They went to clink their glass, until a loud blast interrupted their moment.

a huge hole had appeared in the Princesses chamber.

Malice shot up with great annoyance.

“Who dares!!”

The smoke clears to reveal a figure clad in black armor, their face covered by the knight helmet they wore. The knight raised his pitch black blade and made a fierce slash, creating a large red energy slash that destroyed the table, knocking mayapple away. Malice was furious.

“You picked a really bad day for this you metal brat!” Malice shouted as her hands began to glow with magic power.

The knight charged faster then Malice could react. Hitting her with the broadside of his blade.

Malice’s magic glow faded as she slumped to the ground, unconscious.

“Not much of a fighter.” The mysterious knight commented, he dark gravelly voice contained nothing but disgust and contempt as he said it.

Mayapple got up.

“Get away from her!”

The knight ignored the princess as he picked up malice and slung her over his shoulder.

“She is heavier then I expected, she must have been eating too many sweets.”

Mayapple managed to summon her armor, giving her a pink set of armor with a shield and club.

“You are gonna let her go now!” Mayapple ordered.

The knight paused, before laughing.

“Im taking care of a villain you fool. You should be grateful.” 

“Grateful? You are kidnapping my girlfriend!!!”

The knight seemed to be caught off guard for a second, but quickly recovered.

“And now I have two reasons, can't have a princess hero get corrupted any further.”

The knight quickly dashed out of the chamber the same way he entered. Mayapple ran after only to lose sight of him once he jumped out of the entrance hole.

In that moment a bunch of guards ran to the door.

“Your heinous, we heard shouting and explosions, is everything alright?” One of the guards asked.

Mayapple deactivated her armor and sighed...

“No... There has been a kidnapping.”

(What do you guys think? Should I keep this going? Do you want part two?

Let me know.)

[jasper-pagan-witch]

AALURAN (AH-luh-ron)

The Seductive One, The Beguiler, Ruler of Temptation, Bringer of Lust

Aaluran is the intersexed deity of passion, lust, temptation, and sexual power. Some see them as male, some see them as female, others see them as both or neither.

They loath combat and war and love life itself. Their message is one of promiscuity and sexual freedom. They are chaotic but not malicious and does not go out of their way to cause trouble (unless it's spreading sexual awareness and openness to close-minded societies).

They rule or are associated with bisexuality, chaos, courting, equality, freedom, gender equality, genderfluid people, good, intersexed people, joining, life, lust, pansexuality, passion, peace, pleasure, promiscuity, seduction, sex, sexual awareness, sexual education, sexual power, sexuality, temptation, and transgender people.

ANIMALS: frog, hyena, lizard

COLORS: gold, red, white

CRYSTALS: amethyst, carnelian, citrine, jasper, moonstone, quartz (rose)

DRINKS: clam juice, cranberry juice, milk, olive juice, pineapple juice, tea (chai, chamomile, green, hibiscus, matcha, oolong), water (angel, creek/stream, dew, lake, moon, rain, rainbow, rose, snow, sun, waterfall), wine (red, white) any liquid form of something in the "food" section

FOOD: apple, apricot, avocado, banana, blueberry, carrot, cherry, chocolate (dark, milk), cinnamon, coconut, date, dragonfruit, egg, elderberry, grape, guava, kiwi, lemon, lemon blossom, lemon verbena, lime, lychee, mayapple, nectarine, orange, papaya, peach, pear, plum, passionfruit, plantain, raisin, strawberry, sugar, sultana, tomato, vanilla extract

INCENSE: apple, gardenia, ginger, jasmine, lavender, lilac, musk, myrrh, patchouli, rose, sweet pea, vanilla, violet, ylang ylang

METALS: copper

PLANETS: Mars, Venus

PLANTS: artichoke, damiana, ginger, ginseng, maca, nettle, rose, skullcap

SALT: Himalayan pink

SYMBOLS/OTHER OFFERINGS: mace, full-face mask (both male & female)

TAROT CARDS: The Emperor, the Empress, The Lovers

TIMES: spring, summer, sunset

OTHER: altars, craft names (optional), heat, libations, numbers (??), pictures, protective circles, statues

[alligatorjesie]

Snail Shenanigans

I wanted a nice photo-op with my trillium. I'm a little early on the flowers but if I wait they cherry wont be blooming anymore. Sometimes you just gotta get the shot you can get.

I need a shot with my mayapples but those are a bit off still.

I’m proud to finally show off this awesome sculpt I helped design at work.

We wanted a toy that could be a great grinder but would also be pretty enough to use as a lawn ornament.

And thus the idea for the snail was born!

I poured this one custom for me but it’s one of our most color customizable toys thus far. This one has a pink gold/pearl shimmer swirl inside translucent black on the shell with a sky blue/pearl shimmer fade on the body and a grey base with a suction cup for more fun snail shenanigans.

Get your own at Exotic-Erotics today!

I thought the snail would look really pretty sitting amongst the purple dead nettle cultivar in full bloom. I’m going to take another photoshoot after the bulgeweed (lol) blooms.

It’s also that time of year to put out the morel buttplug I got from Something Squishy lol

[tired-sunwitch]

Fruits

Apple - abundance, love, healing immortality, divination, legacy, offerings, luck, youth, moon magic, vitamin c, potassium (seeds are poisonous in large amounts)

Apricot - love, bad luck, discovery, jinx, vitamin A, carotenes, antioxidant

Avacado - love, beauty, luck, lust, vitamin a, e, k

Bearberry - spirit work, curses

Banana - fertility, potency, protection, wealth, luck, stamina, prosperity, potassium, vitamin b6, c

Blackberry - healing, prosperity, money, bad luck, protection. Roots and leaves reduce diarrhea, decoction, vitamin c, potassium, manganese

Blueberry - protection, banishment, curses. Vitamin c, a, e

Barberry - healing, fortune, ritual offerings, curses. Anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, mild sedative

Bergamot - money, prosperity, success, protection, sleep, money, concentration, soothes cold, fever, cough, nausea, indigestion, cramps. (don’t take with photosynthetic meds)

Cherry - luck, divination, glamours, love, lust. Melatonin - relieves insomnia and headaches, antioxidants, vitamin c

Coconut - luck, divination, glamours, love, lust. melatonin, relieves insomnia and headaches, vitamin c, antioxidants.

Clementine - childhood, dreams, vitamin c, potassium

cantaloupe - protection, grounding, vitamin A and c

cranberry - spirit work, ceremonies, ritual work, offerings, health, vitamin c, a, potassium, manganese, phenolics

date - fertility, luck, money vitamin A, iron, potassium

Dragonfruit - lust, passion, strength, lowers blood pressure, vitamin a, k

Durian - curses, cleansing, protection, hexes. metabolizes serotonin and melatonin

Datura fruit- hex breaking, sleep, protection (hallucinogen, don’t take while pregnant/breastfeeding, fever constipation, rapid heart rate)

Elderberry - exorcisms, prosperity, peace, healing, sleep, wards, protection, love, curses, wards off cold and flue (poisonous - nausea, upset stomach, don’t take with medications that decrease immune system)

Grape - bad luck, fertility, money, luck. anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, vitamin c, a ,k, oil - absorbs well into the skin

Grapefruit - cleansing, curses. vitamin a, c, antioxidant

Guava - love, lust, friendship. vitamin a, c, potassium

Huckleberry - luck, protection, hex breaking

Honeydew melon - innocence, fae magic, purity, trickery, hexes

Jackfruit - divination, happiness, luck, curses, spirit work, warding, vitamin a, potassium, magnesium, manganese

jujube - adventure, warding

Kiwi - health, love, lust, happiness, charms, regulates heart rate and blood pressure

Kumquat - luck, health, money, vitamin a, c, e

lemon - youth, vitality, protection, love, purification, longevity, friendship, boosts the immune system, prevents kidney stones, relieves fatigue, disinfectant, eases digestion and constipation

balm - divination, balance, fresh starts, success relieves stress and anxiety, promotes sleep,

grass - health, optimism, lust anti-inflammatory, vapors help with breathing, improves digestion and constipation, fever, diahrea, anxiety

blossom - fidelity, love

verbena - purification, love, curse-breaking

Lychee - love, beauty, curses, vitamin c, potassium, iron

lime - happiness, purity, healing, cleansing, love, relieves fatigue, uplifts mood, disinfectant, improve mental clarity and memory

mayapple - love, money (diarrhea, upset stomach)

mulberry - protection, strength, survival, wisdom, vitamin c, iron

Mandarin - clarity, youth, luck, money, beauty, reduce stress and tension, calms, uplifts mood

Miracle fruit - optimism, faith

mango - death, youth, vitamin a, c, b6, copper

Mandarin - youth, friendship, optimism, fae magic, hexes

Nectarine -  love, divination, hexes, glamours

Neroli - luck, protection, relieves nervous tension, promotes sleep

Orange -purity, love, charity, generosity, luck, money, lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol, relieves arthritis and anxiety, stabilizes mood, boosts the immune system, laxative (don’t take with celiprolol, ivermectin, or pravastatin)

Blossom - purity, optimism, remove nervous tension, promotes sleep

Papaya - love, protection, glamours, curses. vitamin A, seeds - anti-inflammatory, helps an upset stomach

Peach - love, charms, glamours, protection, exorcisms, bad omens, health, fertility. Vitamin c, a, b carotene,

Pear - affection, comfort, joy, bad luck, lust, love, laxative, copper, iron

Persimmon - beauty, healing, luck, anti-inflammatory, anti-hemorrhagic, vitamin c

Pineapple - luck, money, chasity, perfection, beauty, travel, aids digestion, anti-inflammatory, aids arthritis, vitamin c

Plum - privacy, fidelity, independence, love, protection, regulates digestion, aids constipation, vitamin c (don’t take if you have urinary stones)

Pomegranate - foolishness, elegance, luck, health, fertility, death, divination, protection, spirit work

Passion fruit - luck, inspiration

Pumpkin - foolishness, humility, tradition, vitamin a, fiber

Plantain - fertility, lust, passion, curses

Prune - cleansing, patience, strength, wisdom, protection

Raspberry - remourse, attraction, protection, curses, vitamin c, a, e, b6, potassium, 

leaf - helps cold and flu symptoms, alleviates menstrual pain

Strawberry - foresight, love, luck

starfruit - protection, divination, moon magic

tangerine - creativity, prosperity, protection, strength, vitality, moon magic, vitamin c, fiber, laxative

Tomato - protection, cleansing, love, passion, glamours, vitamin a, c

Watermelon - strength, vitality, love, vitamin a

[hansungkee]

Princess Cherry Mayapple, The ruler of the Human kingdom's capital Macro City, do not steal or She'll Break Your Bone Base : www.deviantart.com/hansungkee/…, NEFARIOUS © Starblade Games/Josh Hano Art and Armor Redesign by Me

[nbula-rising]

The Months by Linda Pastan

March When the Earl King came to steal away the child in Goethe's poem, the father said don't be afraid, it's just the wind... As if it weren't the wind that blows away the tender fragments of this world— leftover leaves in the corners of the garden, a Lenten Rose that thought it safe to bloom so early.

April In the pastel blur of the garden, the cherry and redbud shake rain from their delicate shoulders, as petals of pink dogwood wash down the ditches in dreamlike rivers of color.

May Mayapple, daffodil, hyacinth, lily, and by the front porch steps every billowing shade of purple and lavender lilac, my mother's favorite flower, sweet breath drifting through the open windows: perfume of memory-conduit of spring.

[tree-of-growth]

Tree of Growth Members:

(As of August 25th, 2024)

Green Apple: @muppetappleanon

The Ring:

Lemon: @lemon-frog-tog

Persimmon: @kermitthetankengineno1fan

Grape: @the-grape-guy

Fig: @figfiggyfigure

Lychee: @stardustsomewhere

Ripe:

Tangerine: @topnotchtangerine

Blueberry: @got-the-blues-berries

Black Currant: @beloved-black-currant

Kiwi: @the-muppet-joker

Red Apple: @lifedoesntdiscriminate

Date: @datecrazy

Custard Apple:

Cherry: @cheery-cherry-cherub

Cherry Tomato: @tomatoes-r-a-fruit

Unripe:

Strawberry:

Blackberry: @unripe-blackberry

Mayapple:

Cranberry: @cranspriteberry

Mango 2:

Mulberry: @muppetjokernum8ereightfan

Nectarine:

Blackberry 2: @catinavatofacid

Starfruit: @squireofthegrove

Pear: @mostcodesareciphers

Fruits Unbestowed (Also Unripe):

shenna:

slotharmy:

apricity:

teri:

holeymoley: @hole-lay-moley

Rotten:

Peach: @satan666blunt710smoker

Grape 2: @olipopsoda

Decay:

Grapefruit: @grapefruide

Mango 1: @catcada

Please let me know if you are a member and would like your blog attached / if this needs fixing.

[blackswallowtailbutterfly]

It’s that time of year where I wish the daylight hours were even longer than they are because the loss of the light is the only thing that brings me inside away from my garden (aside from the occasional need to pee and get more water, of course). I picked up my preorders and shopped on the floor of the Toronto Botanical Gardens. How delightful it was to know to know that every single plant for sale was native to my region, and a delight to be at least partially familiar with every single name. I got every plant species I wanted except for three, and they had one that wasn’t listed on their site that I didn’t think I would be able to get this year (another native milkweed species! I will have them all one day...). Plus I got an email from one of the sellers who doesn’t have a website up yet (on account of working with plants, which I can fully understand), but does do deliveries to my area, so maybe I can get my fairy spuds after all! And whatever other plants he grows that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else. Anyway, that was the best hour and a half shopping I’ve ever done in my life. AND there’s another sale two weeks from now that I can get to, so I’m going!

Anyway, once I got home, I headed straight to Canadian Tire to buy another bucket for water (since I currently can’t use my hose) and some soil for an amendment to a narrow gravelly sandy area between the house and the path. Amendment complete, I planted a number of my new treasures and then raced against the fading light to get in as many as possible into their various areas before watering and then heading inside once it became too dark to see anything.

I bought another Jack-in-the-pulpit because it was in the female stage and mine had been in the male stage for two year in a row...only to discover my old one is going to be in the female stage this year too! I also bought another mayapple for the same reason, and my old one is definitely in the male stage. I finally have squirrel corn, I finally have skunk cabbage, I finally have spikenard, clammy ground cherry, field thistle, wild yam! This year is the year of the great fill in, and it’s already starting to show. AND cigarette lady stopped dropping her butts in my garden bed, so that’s awesome.

I’m going to be back at it bright and early tomorrow. Because it’s that time of year where this is all I want to do. All I care about. Just those plants and me as I watch the space transform little by little. The path I fixed? All those 8 slabs of stone I moved? The buckets and buckets of gravel and clay? Wasn’t even about the path. It was about getting that stone slab off the dirt area it was sitting on so I can plant on it, and getting excess clay, sand, and gravel out of my way so I could add in my soil amendment.

I will finish planting my new friends tomorrow, and then I will weed the invaders that have popped up since last week. Then I will lay fresh mulch down, and then I will begin preparing the new areas I’ve marked for several plants on the way.

[petitepointplace]

My Plant and Animal Neighbors: Mayapple/Witch's Umbrella (Mayapple, Devil’s Apple, Hog-apple, Indian Apple, American Mandrake, American May Apple, Racoonberry, Wild Lemon)

Mayapple is of a different species than European mandrake, but a lot of the same fears have been attributed to it by early settlers that are not true. Mayapple is a relative of barberry and goldenseal found in the eastern half of North America. Plants grow 6 to 18 inches (15 to 40 cm) tall in patches, producing a single stalk capped with an “umbrella” of one or two deeply indented leaves. They grow in perennial patches or colonies all arising from a single shared stem. There may be thousands of plants in the colony, sometimes resembling a miniature forest. The colony itself must be at least 12 years old to begin to flower. As these colonies grow quite slowly, it is possible that larger ones may be well over 100 years old. The plant blooms with a single small white flower that produces a single yellow, mushy berry, the only part of the plant that can be eaten safely in moderation. The berry has been known to be made into jams and jellies, although the seeds and rinds are poisonous in large doses.

--excerpted from Mountain Rose Herbs

The yarb doctors are familiar with many purgatives or "loosenin* weeds." One of the most violent and griping is the root of the May apple or mandrake, made into a thick tea or ooze. Some people put small quantities of May apple, wild cherry, and goldenseal into their sassafras tea, but most of the old folks take it neat.

--excerpted from Vance Randolph's Ozark Superstition

History and Folklore:

According to lore, Native Americans used this plant for its healing attributes but also to commit suicide.

The botanical name Podophyllum peltatum comes from the greek podo and phyllon meaning "foot-shaped leaves" and Peltatum meaning "shield".

Magical Attributes:

The powdered root is used in powerful protective magic. Mayapple is extremely irritating to the eyes and Mayapple root is used in spells to keep things (like diaries, books of shadows, etc.) hidden from prying eyes. The powder can be sprinkled around the storage area or on the object itself, or around the perimeter of an area where you do not wish to be disturbed. (Remember that Mayapple is a topical poison while doing this. Take care not to let the powder sit on your skin or come in contact with your eyes.)

The dried fruit can also be added to sachets and mojo bags to similar purpose, that is to allow the bearer to work in secret, or to allow his or her actions to not be revealed too soon.

The whole root can be tucked under the mattress to ensure the fertility and verility of the couple who sleep upon it.

Kept in a high place in the home, Mayapple root is said to draw prosperity to the home and protect it from bad luck.

This herb is commonly used as a substitution in spells calling for Mandrake (Atropa mandragora)

--excerpted from Witchipedia

May Apple Folklore

May Apple was once called the witches umbrella and thought to be employed by them as a poison, which may not be untrue! The English version of this plant has much lore told of it, being called Manroot (mandrake) believed to be alive and its screams when pulled from the ground would render a man permanently insane. 

May Apple Herb Uses and Medicinal Properties:

American Mandrake, or May Apple, is medicinal and edible (fruit), used extensively by Native Americans. The fully ripe fruit is eaten raw, cooked or made into jams, jellies, marmalades, and pies. It is very aromatic, and has a sweet peculiar but agreeable flavor. May Apple seeds and rind are not edible, said to be poisonous. The root and plant contain valuable constituents Quercetin, Kaempferol, Podophyllin, Isorhamnetin, Gallic-acid, Berberine, Alpha-peltatin, that are being studied for their healing, anticancer and other properties. The root is used as a medicinal herb, it is antibilious, cathartic, cytostatic, hydrogogue and purgative, it should only be used by professional Herbalists. It is a most powerful and useful alternative medicine. A possible treatment for cancer is being tested as it contains podophyllin, which has an antimiotic effect (it interferes with cell division and can thus prevent the growth of cells). 

The resin of May Apple, which is obtained from the root, is used in the treatment of warts. The whole plant, apart from the ripe fruit, is highly poisonous in large doses. American Mandrake herb produces nausea and vomiting, and even inflammation of the stomach and intestines, which has been known to prove fatal. In moderate doses, it is a drastic purgative with some cholagogue action. Do not use wile pregnant, nursing or trying to conceive. 

May Apple Recipe Jelly or sweet relish:  Peel and deseed the ripe fruit and use your favorite jelly making skills with it. Also good fresh, but use in moderation. All parts except the fruit are TOXIC! 

--excerpted from Alternative Nature Online Herbal

Photos are my own.

[jaxtraxx]

Why Me?

Everyone who gardens thinks a lot about gardening. What’s with the obsession? Why do we do it? Everyone gets obsessed in his or her own way. Sometimes we get too obsessed.  Having just read The Roots Of My Obsession  (ed. Thomas Cooper) I began thinking even more obsessively about why I garden.  I also started thinking about how I garden. Everyone does it a little bit differently right?

Well, I came up with a few things about myself and my garden.  And that brought me to making a list of things that might connect the dots:

I’m a plant hoarder. I can’t have just one plant. I like to make plants multiply. Once I learn how to make more of a plant, I can’t stop making more of them. I’m a show off with my plants. I like to talk about them and I like to sell them. 

I’m frugal and I don’t really like to spend lots of money on plants. Now let’s be real here. I’ve spent plenty of money on plenty of plants, but once I established a solid hoard of a few thousand cultivated plants, I moved on to making my own through division and rooting cuttings. Seed starting is ok, but I prefer to hack a plant into pieces and see how many I can get.

Each year I count my hostas after dividing them in fall and one day I expect the number might go over 5000. Last year’s final count was around 1000. I like to day dream about dividing every one of those into four. 

I learned to snitch plants from my grandmothers. Rarely do I outright just steal a plant. But I have been known to pinch the newest varieties of coleus from city planters. 

I enjoy taking plants from the wild and relocating them to my personal garden. Let’s be clear, the wild from which I steal is my wild. I’ve got 40 acres of woods and pasture from which to pinch. I don’t deplete anything or over harvest.  I just love to spend days wandering the woods and their margins looking at plants and digging anything and everything I want.

I like to sell plants. And not the kind of plants most people would sell. I’m into less fussy, less cultivated plants and I don’t do the same thing every year. One year I might be hot on wild strawberry plants and the next year hen and chicks are all the rage. Last year I got hooked on native sedges. This year I’m planning to obsess over native grasses. Spring ephemerals are always in the mix. This is probably because it’s early in the gardening season and anything to feed the garden fire will do. I never tired of trillium, mayapples or jack in the pulpit. The supply here on my farm is endless. 

Which brings me to foraging. Lifting ferns from my very own woods and relocating them to my cultivated plot satisfies that craving to propagate and steal. It’s a little crazy, but some days I’ll just wander with a shovel and sack until it’s full and bring it all back to plant. Along the way I sometimes find mushrooms, wild leeks or wild onions. 

As for growing food. Well, I like to hoard food too. It’s very satisfying to see and use 25 quarts of frozen cherry tomatoes in the winter. I never fail to dry enough herbs to get me through winter and garlic and shallots are always in high supply from late fall through February or March.

I like bringing these things all together to be a part of my everyday life. In other words, putting my obsession to work in the name of bread money is very satisfying for me.  Making 20 bucks off a small tray of plants is thrilling to me. 

Which reminds me to go check on my houseplant cuttings, another obsession for another day’s discussion.