Calendar May 2015: Herb-Paris

May: Herb-Paris

'True Lover's Knot' in Ancient Woods

(Paris Quadrifolia, Order: Liliales, Family: Melanthiaceae , Genus: Paris )

Herb-Paris; not only its name but also the appearance is distinctive in woodlands in the early summer.  I have seen it in the woodland when I met the gentleman for the first time, whom told about his involvement into the Woodland Trust and inspired me a great interest in the woodland nature.

He told my friend and I that a rare plants were blooming in the gorge, where it stayed shady and humid.  Interestingly, he added, its colony dwelled only in the very localised areaHe described how they looked like; namely, it had four leaves and only one distinctive flower on its top.  So, when having entered into the shady damp gorge, surrounded by ancient trees, we carefully looked around.  Indeed, as he described, the unusual plants were blooming here and there next to a small stream.

The four broad oval leaves are spreading outward from the upper middle of the thin stem.  The flower was curiously tiny, rather didn't look like a flower buds.  After the walk, I looked at my wild plant guidebooks.  It has thread-like green petals (you hardly see in my print, though), four broad green sepals (hanging just under the purple object), eight spiky yellow stamen upright, and a dark purple tiny berry-like ovary in the middle of a flower.

The gentleman said to us that herb-paris was an indicator for an ancient woodland.  The woodland, where the herb-paris colony thrives, consists of mature beech, ash and oak trees. They bloom among broad carpets of Bluebells. They can be easily disguised by the impressive blue pretty.  But once you look closely, herb-paris plants stand here and there.  You cannot miss out the distinctive appearance.

The name, 'herb-paris', confused me, if the plant was possible any link to the metropolitan city, Paris.  But no, this Latin word of 'paris' of herb-paris comes from "the 'herb of equality' because all of its parts are considered equal and harmonious".  This symmetric appearance appealed to herbalists in the medieval time.(from The Wild Trusts 'Herb-Paris').

Trying to imagine this plant blooming in the woodland, where I now often walk around, in the early Middle Ages, under an iron age hill fort.  I've been reading the latest novel of Kazuo Ishigro, Buried Giant.  The story was set in the early Middle Ages just after King Arthur died but still his knight and nephew, Sir Gawain, one of the main characters, was still alive.  Herb-paris might have been already blooming with a kind of dignified atmosphere in undisturbed the woodland in those ancient days.

Herb-paris has common names such as 'true lover's knot' or 'devil-in-a bush'.  People in those day, who believed in mysterious creatures, saw the plant as a symbol of both love and evil.

It should deserve 'true lover's knot', as a symbol of the eternal love rather than the latter one because herb-paris has existed and hasn't changed for so long, while its surrounding changed so much.  Besides, the ancient woodland, where the colony of herb-paris is preserved, has tranquil peaceful atmosphere.  Sadly such ancient woods will hardly survive without support by human nowadays.  Human have destroyed the nature.  I do hope the ancient woodlands will thrive forever.