Strawberry
Properly, our familiar Strawberry plant is a native of cold climates,
and so hardy that it bears fruit freely in Lapland. When mixed with
reindeer cream, and dried in the form of a sausage, this constitutes
Kappatialmas, the plum pudding of the Polar regions.
Strawberry is from the Anglo-Saxon Strowberige, of which the
first syllable refers to anything strewn. The wild woodland
Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
cultivated and delicious fruit. This little hedgerow and sylvan plant
has a root which is very astringent, so that when held in the mouth it
will stay any flow of blood from the nostrils. Its berries are more
acid than the garden Strawberry, and make an excellent cleanser of
the teeth, the acid juice dissolving incrustations of tartar without
injuring the enamel.
A medicinal tincture is ordered (H.) from the berries of this
Woodland Strawberry, which is of excellent service for nettle rash,
or allied erysipelas: also for a suffocative swelling of the
swallowing throat. Ipsa tuis manibus sylvestri nata sub umbraa:
mollia fraga leges, says Ovid. An infusion of the leaves is of
excellent service in Dysentery.
It is incorrect to call the fruit a berry, because the edible,
succulent pulp is really a juicy cushion over which numerous small
seeds are plentifully dotted; whilst the name Strawberry is a
corruption of Strayberry, in allusion to the trailing runners,
which stray in all directions from the parent stock.
Being of very ancient date, the Strawberry is found widely diffused
throughout most parts of the world. [538] Among the Greeks its
name Komaros, a mouthful, indicated the compact size of the
fruit. By the Latins it was termed Fragaria, because of its delicate
perfume.
Virgil ranked it with sweet-smelling flowers; Ovid gave it a tender
epithet; Pliny mentions the Strawberry as one of the native fruits of
Italy; Linnaeus declared he kept himself free from gout by eating
plentifully of the fruit; and Hoffman says he has known consumption
cured by the same means.
From Shakespeare we learn that in his day the fruit was grown in
Holborn, now the centre of London. Gloster, when contemplating
the death of Hastings, wishes to get the Bishop of Ely temporarily
out of the way, and thus addresses him:--
My Lord of Ely--when I was last in Holborn
I saw good Strawberries in your garden there;
I do beseech you send for some of them.
In Elizabeth's time doctors made a tea from the leaves to act on the
kidneys, and used the roots as astringent.
All former Herbalists agreed in pronouncing strawberries
wholesome and beneficial beyond every other English fruit. Their
smell is refreshing to the spirits; they abate fever, promote urine,
and are gently laxative. The leaves may be used in gargles for
quinsies and sore mouths, but, if anyone suffering from a wound in
the head should partake of this fruit, it would certainly prove fatal,
in accordance with a widespread superstition.
So wholesome are Strawberries, that if laid in a heap and left by
themselves to decompose, they will decay without undergoing any
acetous fermentation; nor can their kindly temperature be soured
even by exposure to the acids of the stomach. They are constituted
entirely of soluble matter, and leave no residuum to [539] hinder
digestion. It is probably for this reason, and because the fruit does
not contain any actual nutriment as food, that a custom has arisen of
combining rich clotted cream with it at table, whilst at the same time
the sharp juices are thus agreeably modified.
Mella que erunt epulis, et lacte fluentia fraga:--
Then sit on a cushion, and sew up a seam;
And thou shalt have Strawberries, sugar, and cream.
Cardinal Wolsey regaled off this delicate confection with the Lords
of the Star Chamber; and Charles Lamb is reported to have said,
Doubtless, God Almighty could have made a better berry, but He
never did.
Parkinson advised that water distilled from strawberries is good for
perturbation of the spirits, and maketh the heart merry.
The fruit especially suits persons of a bilious temperament, being a
surprising remedy for the jaundice of children, and particularly
helping the liver of pot companions, wetters, and drammers. Some
also do use thereof to make a water for hot inflammations in the
eyes, and to take away any film that beginneth to grow over them.
Into a closed glass vessel they put so many strawberries as they
think meet for their purpose, and let this be set in a bed of hot horse
manure for twelve or fourteen days, being afterwards distilled
carefully, and the water kept for use.
The chemical constituents of the Strawberry are--a peculiar volatile
aroma, sugar, mucilage, pectin, citric and malic acids in equal parts,
woody fibre, and water.
The fruit is mucilaginous, somewhat tart and saccharine. It
stimulates perspiration, and imparts a violet scent to the urine.
When fermented for the purpose it yields an ardent spirit. If beaten
into a pulp [540] when ripe, and with water poured thereupon, it
makes a capital cooling drink which is purifying, and somewhat
laxative.
Strawberries are especially suitable in inflammatory and putrid
fevers, and for catarrhal sore throats. French herbalists direct that
when fresh, and recently crushed, the fruit shall be applied on the
face at night for heat spots and freckles by the sun. From the juice,
with lemon, sugar, and water, they concoct a most agreeable drink,
Bavaroise a la grecque; also they employ the roots and leaves
against passive hemorrhages, and in chronic diarrhoea.
In Germany, stewed strawberries, and strawberry jam are taken at
dinner with roasted meats, or with chicken. This jam promotes a
free flow of urine.
It is to be noticed that though most commonly wholesome and
refreshing, yet with some persons, particularly those of a strumous
bodily habit, Strawberries will often disagree. The late Dr.
Armstrong held a very strong opinion that the seed grains which lie
sprinkled allover the outer surface of each pulpy berry are prone to
excite much intestinal irritation, and he advised his patients to suck
their Strawberries through muslin, in order to prevent these
diminutive seeds from being swallowed.
German legends dedicate Strawberries to the Virgin, with whom
they are reputed to have been a favourite fruit. She went a berrying
with the children on St. John's morning; and therefore no mother
who has lost a young child, will taste the delicacy then. The
Strawberries symbolise little children who have died when young,
and the mothers suppose they ascend to heaven concealed in the
fragrant pulp.
From the French, fraise, signifying the Strawberry [541] leaves
borne on the family shield, is derived in Scotland the name of the
Frazers. And eight of these (so called) leaves wrought in ornamental
gold form a part of the coronet which our English dukes claim as
one of their proud insignia, conferred by Henry the Fourth. Being
desirous of adding fresh splendour to the Coronation of a
Lancastrian Prince he introduced these leaves into the regal Crown.
An earl's coronet has eight leaves: that of a marquis four.
More
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The Raspberry (Rubus Idoeus) occurs wild plentifully in the woods of Scotland, where children gather the fruit early in summer. It is also found growing freely in some parts of England--as in the Sussex woods--and bearing berries of as good a qualit... Rhubarb (garden)
see Dock, page 159. ... Rice
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(See Dock, page 157.) ... Southernwood
Southernwood, or Southern Wormwood, though it does not flower in this country, is well known as grown in every cottage garden for its aromatic fragrance. It is the Artemisia Abrotanum, a Composite plant of the Wormwood tribe, commonly known as Old ... Southernwood
(Artemisia Abrotanum, Linn.), a woody-stemmed perennial belonging to the Compositae and a native of southern Europe. It grows from 2 to 4 feet tall, bears hairlike, highly aromatic leaves and heads of small yellow flowers. The plant is often found i... Speedwell
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During the autumn, in our woody hedgerows a shrub becomes very conspicuous by bearing numerous rose-coloured floral capsules, strikingly brilliant, each with a [531] scarlet and orange-coloured centre. This is the Spindle Tree (Euonymus), so called ... Spurge
Conspicuous in Summer by their golden green leaves, and their striking epergnes of bright emerald blossoms, the Wood Spurge, and the Petty Spurge, adorn our woodlands and gardens commonly and very remarkably. Together with many other allied plants, ... Status And Uses
Some readers of a statistical turn of mind may be disappointed to learn that figures as to the value of the annual crops of individual herbs, the acreage devoted to each, the average cost, yield and profit an acre, etc., are not obtainable and that ... Stitchwort
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Properly, our familiar Strawberry plant is a native of cold climates, and so hardy that it bears fruit freely in Lapland. When mixed with reindeer cream, and dried in the form of a sausage, this constitutes Kappatialmas, the plum pudding of the Pola... Succory
The Wild Succory (Cichorium intybus) is a common roadside English plant, white or blue, belonging to the Composite order, and called also Turnsole, because it always turns its flowers towards the sun. It blows with a blue blossom somewhat paler t... Sundew
The Sundew (Ros solis, or Drosera rotundifolia) is a little plant always eagerly recognised in marshy and heathy grounds by ardent young botanists. In the sun its leaves seem tipped with dew (drosos). It grows plentifully in Hampshire and the New Fo... Sunflower
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(Tanacetum vulgare, Linn.), a perennial of the Compositae, native of Europe, whence it has spread with civilization as a weed almost all over the world. From the very persistent underground parts annual, usually unbranched stems, sometimes 3 feet ta... Tarragon
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(Artemisia Dracunculus, Linn.), a fairly hardy, herbaceous rather shrubby perennial of the Compositae, supposed to be a native of southern Russia, Siberia, and Tartary, cultivated for scarcely more than 500 years for its leaves and tender shoots. In... The Soil And Its Preparation
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(Thymus vulgaris, Linn.), a very diminutive perennial shrub, of the natural order Labiatae, native of dry, stony places on Mediterranean coasts, but found occasionally naturalized as an escape from gardens in civilized countries, both warm and cold.... Toadflax
The Toadflax, or Flaxweed (Linaria vulgaris) belongs to the scrofula-curing order of plants, getting its name from linum, flax, and being termed toad by a [566] mistaken translation of its Latin title Bubonio, this having been wrongly read bufonio,-... Tomato (or Love Apple)
Though only of recent introduction as a common vegetable in this country, and though grown chiefly [568] under glass for the table in England, yet the Tomato is so abundantly imported, and so extensively used by all classes now-a-days throughout the... Tormentil
The Tormentil (Potentilla Tormentilla) belongs to the tribe of wild Roses, and is a common plant on our heaths, banks, and dry pastures. It is closely allied to the Potentilla, but bears only four petals on its flowers, which are of bright yellow. T... Transplanting
No more care is required in transplanting herbs than in resetting other plants, but unless a few essentials are realized in practice the results are sure to be unsatisfactory. Of course, the ideal way is to grow the plants in small flower pots and w... Turnip
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From our English Pines, if their stems be wounded, the oleo-resin known as Turpentine, can be procured. This is so truly a vegetable product, and so readily available for medical uses in every household, being withal so valuable for its remedial and... Valerian
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The Verbena, or Common Vervain, is a very familiar herb on waste ground throughout England, limited to no soil, and growing at the entrance into towns and villages, always within a quarter of a mile of a house, and hence called formerly the Simpler'... Vine
The fruit of the Vine (Vitis vinifera) has already been treated of here under the heading Grapes, as employed medicinally whether for the purgation of the bilious--being then taken crude, and scarcely ripe,--or for imparting fat and bodily warmth in... Violet
The Wild violet or Pansy (Viola tricolor) is found commonly throughout Great Britain on banks and in hilly pastures, from whence it has come to be cultivated in our gardens. Viola, a corruption of Ion, is a name extended by old writers to several... Viper's Bugloss
The Simpler's passing consideration should be given to this tall handsome English herb which grows frequently in gravel pits, and on walls. It belongs to the Borage tribe (see page 60), and, in common with the Lungwort (Pulmonaria), the Comfrey, and... Wallflower
The Wallflower, or Handfiower (Cheiranthus cheiri), or Wall-gilliflower, has been cultivated in this country almost from time immemorial, for its fragrance and bright colouring. It is found wild in France, Switzerland, and Spain, as the Keiri or Wal... Walnut
The Walnut tree is known of aspect to most persons throughout Great Britain as of stately handsome culture, having many spreading branches covered with a silvery grey bark, which is smooth when young, though thick and cracked when old. The flower... Wart-wort Or Wart-weed
This name has been commonly applied to the Petty Spurge, or to the Sun Spurge, a familiar little weed growing abundantly in English gardens, with umbels of a golden green colour which turn towards the sun. Its stem and leaves yield, when wounded, an... Water Plants (other)
(Water Dropwort, Water Lily, Water Pepper.) The Water Dropwort--Hemlock (oenanthe crocata) is an umbelliferous plant, frequent in our marshes and ditches. [604] It is named from oinos, wine, and anthos, a flower, because its blossoms have a vinou... Woodruff
Concerning the Sweet Woodruff (Asperula odorata), it is a favourite little plant growing commonly in our woods and gardens, with a pleasant smell which, like the good deeds of the worthiest persons, delights by its fragrance most after death. This h... Woodsorrell (_see Also Docks_)
This elegant little herb, called also French Sorrel, Rabbits' food, Shamrock, and Wood Sour (Oxalis acetosella), is abundant throughout our woods, and in other moist, shady places. It belongs to the natural order of Geraniums, and bears the provinci... Wormwood
The common Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) has been partly considered here together with Mugwort, to which it is closely allied. It is a Composite herb of frequent growth on waste ground, being a bushy plant with silky stems, and collections of nume... Woundwort
The Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica) is a common Labiate plant in our hedges and woods, branched and hairy, with whorls of small dull purple flowers on a spike two feet high or more. There are other varieties of the herb, such as the Marsh (March... Yarrow
The Yarrow, from hiera, holy herb (Achillea millefolium), or Milfoil, is so called from the very numerous fine segments of its leaves. It is a Composite plant very common on waysides and in pastures throughout Britain. The name Achillea has been ... Yew
Although the Yew--a Conifer--which is so thoroughly English a tree, is known to be highly poisonous as regards its leaves to the humans subject, and as concerning its loppings or half-dead branches, to oxen, horses, and asses, yet a medicinal tinctu... (archangelica Officinalis Hoffm)
a biennial or perennial herb of the natural order Umbelliferae, so called from its supposed medicinal qualities. It is believed to be a native of Syria, from whence it has spread to many cool European climates, especially Lapland and the Alps, where... (lavendula Vera D C; L Angustifolia Moench; L
spica, Linn.), a half-hardy perennial undershrub, native of dry, calcareous uplands in southern Europe. Its name is derived from the Latin word Lavo, to wash, a distillation of the flowers being anciently used in perfuming water for washing the body. ...