Greater stitchwort (Stellaria holostea) is
a plant that grows in woods and hedgerows throughout the British Isles, with
the sole exception of the Shetlands. It is a straggly plant that prefers to
grow in shade and in company with other plants which it needs for support given
the weakness of its stems, which are easily broken.
If supported, greater stitchwort can grow
up to 24 inches (60 centimetres) above the ground. It has shorter non-flowering
stems and longer flowering ones. The leaves are stalkless and narrow, with long
points.
The attractive white flowers appear from
April to June. The five petals are divided for half their length and are longer
than the sepals. There are ten stamens. The fruit is a globe-shaped capsule.
The botanical name “holostea” comes from
two Greek words meaning “whole” and “bone”. This comes from an ancient belief
that a plant that breaks easily must be useful in helping to mend broken bones,
which seems like an interesting logical conclusion to come to!
The name “stitchwort” refers to the plant’s
supposed ability to cure “stitch” pains (cramp) caused by vigorous exercise. A
preparation of stitchwort and acorns in wine was supposed to do the trick – on
the other hand, the time taken to make this potion was probably greater than
that of the pain of the stitch!
© John Welford
No comments:
Post a Comment