[Alisdair]

There was an older tradition that the tree on which Judas hanged himself was the elder (Sambucus nigra), which does also occur in Israel - and which is involved in a good many other beliefs and superstitions.

[John J]

Exactly right, Alisdair, on both counts. Among the other trees laying claim to being the one that Judas chose to hang himself from are the common fig (Ficus carica) and the aspen (Populus tremula).
As you also say there are a multitude of other stories about the elder.
In the UK it is often associated with witches and witchcraft. One such story tells of the fate of a Danish army who met a witch while marching through Oxfordshire on the way to fight the English. The Danish king requested the witch tell his fortune, to which she replied;
"Seven long strides thou shalt take,
and if Long Crompton thou canst see
King of England thou shalt be".
As he was near the top of the hill he thought this would be easy, but as he took the seventh stride the ground rose up ahead of him obscuring his view. The witch went on;
"As Long Crompton thou canst not see
King of England thou shalt not be.
Rise up stick and stand still stone
For King of England thou shalt be none.
Thou and thy men hoar stones shall be,
And I, myself an elder tree".
So the King and all his men were turned to stone.
A single stone standing alone from the others is named the King Stone and has an elder tree growing nearby.
The elder was not only claimed as being the tree from which Judas hanged himself but some sources say that the crucifixion cross was also made from elder.
The elder features in Scandinavian and Teutonic myths and on the Scottish borders it is claimed that elder grows where blood has been shed.
Certain Native American tribes believed the elder to be the mother of the human race.

[Hilary]

Interesting. Does this "King Stone" exist?

[John J]

Yes, Hilary, it is part of a Neolithic and Bronze Age complex known as the Rollright Stones on the border of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire near to Long Compton. The other main constituents of the site are The King's Men, a circle of stones who were the King's most loyal followers, and The Whispering Knights, who had questioned the King's decision.

[John J]

Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) commonly known as Herb Louisa as it was named in honour of Princess Maria Louisa of Parma.
Would appear to be a useful plant to have around as, apparently, wearing it renders the wearer attractive to the opposite sex.
It is also associated with dreams. Either drinking a small quantity of its juice or wearing a piece of it around the neck before going to bed will guarantee a good night's sleep with no dreams. If one would prefer to experience sweet dreams a little lemon verbena on the pillow will do the trick.

[John J]

Cupressus sempervirens is associated with mourning. As personified by that other great Hellenophile, Lord Byron, who wrote: "Dark trees, still sad when other's grief is fled, The only constant mourner of the dead".
In many countries, including here in Cyprus, they can be found growing near to churches and/or in graveyards. In our own village the main church had a row of them almost directly outside until, several years ago, it was decided to extend the paved area surrounding the building outwards into the packed-earth 'car park' and the trees were cut down. Not a popular decision with everyone, especially the older generation, as you can imagine.
As with many plants the cypress has several myths and legends attached to it. Its name is said to derive from Cyparissos who was loved by the god Apollo. However, when he inadvertently killed one of Apollo's favourite stags he was so distraught that he committed suicide. He begged the gods to grant him a way to grieve for eternity, so they turned him into a cypress tree and it has symbolized mourning ever since.
Because the wood of the cypress is so durable it was used by the Phoenicians to build their ships. Various other claims have been made regarding the uses of cypress wood, such as for Cupid's darts, Noah's Ark, Hercules' club and even for the crucifixion cross.

[John J]

In Greek the honey bee is called melissa and it was believed that they were so attracted to the smell of Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm) that rubbing it on their hives would ensure that they never strayed.
However, it is to the UK that we go for our main story, specifically to Staffordshire. One day a nomadic Jew by the name of Ahasuerus stopped at a cottage to ask for a drink. Even though the cottager was unwell, and Jews were not exactly welcomed at that time, he invited him in and gave him a cup of ale. In response to this kindness Ahasuerus told the man to soak three balm leaves in a goblet of ale. He was then to drink this infusion, refilling the goblet as it became empty and replacing the old leaves with new ones every four days. On the twelfth day the man was totally cured, either that or he was too stoned to care any more!
Another medicinal benefit attributed to the plant was that of being able to heal sword wounds. Not, as you might think, by treating the wound with the herb but by tying it to the sword in question. Whether this should be done before or after the wound was inflicted isn't clear.

[John J]

Today's photo on the MGS Facebook page is of a Brugmansia suaveolens. I don't have any anecdotes about that particular plant but the Datura, in which genus it was once included, is certainly more notorious.
The Aztecs considered it to be sacred, their shamans using it in magical rites, as, it was believed, did witches in Britain. Just having the plant growing in a garden could get the owner denounced as a witch. On the other hand it was also believed that it would protect against witchcraft if sprinkled around the house.
A physician living in the 1600s, John Pechey, declared that drinking beer into which powdered Datura seeds had been added led to a temporary madness of 24 hours duration. No mention is made of how much beer had to be consumed for this state to occur, however, the fact that the good doctor's residence is listed as the Angel and Crown is a little suspicious.

[John J]

Recently Hilary has been featuring a selection of roses on her Plants of the World on postage stamps thread. So, to pick up the rose theme we have the Damask Rose, Rosa x damascena.
As far as can be ascertained it probably arose (sorry  ) from a chance hybridization.
Probably its major asset is its amazing scent, described by Herodotus as the scent that surpasses all others.
Robert de Brie, a Crusader knight is traditionally credited with introducing it to Europe, having brought it back from the Holy Land to his estates in Champagne. From there it spread to the rest of the continent, no doubt due largely to the aforementioned incredible scent.

[John J]

Rosemary has been around for thousands of years, although it was not introduced into Britain until the 14th Century.
There is an old Christian belief that a rosemary bush cannot grow taller than a man or exceed the lifespan of Christ, thirty-three years.
One of the most romantic legends associated with rosemary comes from Italy.
It involves a queen who was unable to have children. One day in her garden she came upon a rosemary plant and, feeling jealous of its fresh new growth, wished she could also produce new life. In the fullness of time her wish was granted and she gave birth to a small rosemary plant. Undaunted she lavished all her affection upon it. However, her nephew, who was the King of Spain, decided to play a trick upon her and stole it. A rather nasty trick it might be said although he did continue to look after it, even watering it with goat's milk. Imagine his surprise when one day as he played his flute nearby a beautiful young girl stepped out from the plant. Obviously, otherwise there wouldn't be much point to the story, he fell madly in love with her. The time came when his royal duties called upon him to leave for battle, presenting the problem of what to do about his secret. He gave his gardener strict instructions to care for the plant and to ensure that no-one ever played music anywhere near it. Unfortunately, one day he forgot his master's orders and absent-mindedly began to play his flute. The young maiden appeared but the king's sisters, seeing this lovely intruder, attacked her and she vanished, whereupon the plant began to whither and die. The terrified gardener ran away in order to avoid the king's anger. On the way he came across a dragon who told him that the plant could only be revived by feeding it with dragon's blood. Whereupon he killed the dragon, took it's blood and fed the plant, which recovered. The king returned to find his plant with its mystical maiden just as he had left it. Needless to say the king thanked his gardener and married the maiden, the beautiful Rosa Marina.

[John J]

How many readers of the Forum grow a Norfolk Island Pine (Auraucaria heterophyla)?
How many know that it is said to be capable of warding off evil if grown near to the house? Also that under its protection they will never suffer from hunger?
I'm not sure how close to the house is considered near but our tree is about 25 metres away. Nor am I sure how well it is performing in the case of evil but I have to admit that we have rarely gone hungry. 

[John J]

Who knew that common sage (Salvia officinalis) was considered to be sacred by the Romans, that it could create life and that by eating it one could become immortal?
'Cur moriatur homo, cui salvia crescit in horto?' (Why should a man die who has sage in his garden?) Hmmm!!

[John J]

Cyprus is the island of Aphrodite; 'She who was born of the foam off Paphos'.
It is said that when she emerged from the waves she hid her nakedness behind a myrtle bush.
The Romans had her, in her reincarnation as Venus, hiding amongst myrtle bushes in an attempt to evade the unwanted attentions of a group of satyrs. No wonder the plant was considered to be sacred to her.
In other stories in which the two are linked, one credits her with the creation of the myrtle plant, while another states that she was crowned with a myrtle wreath following Paris judging her to be the most beautiful of the goddesses.
Again in her Roman guise as Venus she is said to have whipped Psyche with a myrtle rod for seducing her son Cupid.
There are many more but to mention just a couple of others that don't involve the Goddess of Love, a Christian story tells that when Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden they were given permission to take just three things with them. They chose the date, wheat and myrtle because they were the best fruit, cereal and fragrance respectively.
In a Muslim version Adam took only myrtle that he had collected from the place where he had first declared his love for Eve. How romantic is that, ladies?
On the medicinal front, it is said that drinking myrtle tea every three days helps to keep a person looking young.
Hmm!! wonder if it's too late to start now?  Probably need to drink several litres. 

[John J]

Christmas is fast approaching and a vast number of Euphorbia pulcherrima plants that have been propagated and grown on over several months are being purchased as short term decorations before ultimately ending in the garbage or on the compost heap.
The common name of poinsettia comes from an amateur botanist, Joel Roberts Poinsett, who was the first US ambassador to Mexico.
I don't know whether or not the two are linked but there is a story about an extremely poor Mexican boy who, being unable to purchase a Christmas gift for the church, laid a bunch of weeds that he had picked on the altar on Christmas Eve. They were miraculously transformed into the red and green flowers of the poinsettia.

[John J]

For me oranges have always had a certain association with this time of the year. Growing up in the UK in the late 1940s they were a scarce commodity and traditionally to be found at the toe of the Christmas stocking.
Apart from their more obvious benefits as a source of essential, fragrant oils used in perfumes, such as Eau de Cologne, and their less obvious uses as an ingredient in a variety of love potions and rituals, they can be a useful aid when difficult choices need to be made. When it proves hard to decide between two courses of action, eat an orange. Think about the problem as you do so and once finished count the number of pips (ensure that you don't swallow any as that is likely to affect the result, apart from the fact that we were told as children that it would end in an orange tree growing in your stomach). If you have an even number of pips then the answer to your question is 'no' and if odd it's 'yes'.
Even if it turns out to be wrong you should benefit from the intake of Vitamin C.