Sneezeweed Snuff & Stuff
- mgeorge2897
- Apr 19, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 19, 2023
If you know, you know. If you don't, stay awhile and find out!
Last week, my grandma and I were driving home from Archie's Gardenland, a nursery here in Fort Worth. As we were making the haul back home we were ratteling off plants we loved and dreaming of our ideal gardens. What would we add? What would we take away from what we have now? What do we hate? What flower brings us the most joy? A very typical and reoccurring conversation we have. I was telling her my obsession with Maidenhair Ferns lately. I LOVE THEM. I want to have them, gift them, see them and be near them. They fit in the category of plants that bring me joy. I couldn't exactly tell you what about the plant is special to me, I just love how dainty they are! I digress, the point is Maidenhair Ferns entered the chat and it got me thinking, why Maidenhair? Where did that name come from? If anyone heard our convo in the car and knew nothing about plants, it was almost as if we were speaking a whole different language.
If you are curious about Maidenhair Fern's name, the name came from the roots. No, not the history of the plant... the literal roots were said to look like a maiden's hair. That's it. Of course, it has a scientific nam derived from somewhere that is the ACTUAL name, but no one calls it that. People essentially come up with the common name based off something about the plant. Let's look at some fun ones!
Mother-in-law's Tongue: You may be familiar with this one, but how did it get its name? Apparently, the pointed blade of the leaves symbolize the sharp tongue of a mother-in-law. What a name! Although a bit of an aggressive name, this plant has many air-purifying duties it tends to in the house. You may have to keep this mother-in-law's tongue around because it actually proves to have benefits!
Sneezeweed: A beautiful flower dried up into snuff. Yes, you read that right. The historic use of this flower wasn't only to jazz up the front yard, it was dried and crushed into snuff that caused sneezing! I actually continued to read up a little on this plant, beyond its name, and found out the seeds are poisonous to humans. It truly baffles me why it was made into snuff! It said it could be fatal... excuse me?! It sounds to me that Sneezeweed needs to have a more intense name! Rather than just warning it can cause some sniffles and sneezes!
Boy Flower: This one makes me chuckle. I first heard this name from my grandma followed by a giggle. Look up the flower... you will understand. Anthuriums is the actual name, but this flower comes with a whole host of names (including naughty boy) and has about 1,000 different types. It is actually a really pretty flower that I was contemplating adding to my desk!
Mrs. Blue Brady: Disclaimer... this is not a common name of a plant. My Grandma and I came up with this one! Neither of us can identify this mystery plant in both of our gardens. We have no idea what it is! All we know is that this lady named Mrs. Brady (a dear friend of my grandma) gave it to my grandma and it is blue, hence, Mrs. Blue Brady. At this point, I don't even care what the real name is and we both refer to it as Mrs. Blue Brady. Mrs. Brady has passed but her legend lives on in both of our gardens! I will continue to refer to it as that and will pass down the name to all the future gardeners in my life. I'm sure someday the name will reveal itself, but I am just fine calling it Mrs. Blue Brady.
There are countless others. They are fun to learn, especially if you have a love for the garden. Next time someone says "go get me a Mother-in-law's Tongue"... you will not be so horrified at this request. Just head on down to the nearest nursery and grab them one and if they look at you confused when you bring it back then run... you might have bigger problems on your hand.
This post is inspired by my grandma, Gammy, who has taught me everything I know about the garden. Thanks for always teaching me your ways!
Let's fill the garden with these plants! I might pass on the Sneezeweed, though.
Until next time,
Madison
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