 | |
DSCN3350
[Mandragora officinarum]
This plant has
been well-known since antiquity mainly because of its toxicity and its
anthropomorphic root shape. Its toxicity and its pharmaceutical properties led
to its extensive use in medicine while its root shape led people to associate
the plant with numerous superstitions and magic filters.
“There is a superstition that if a person pulls up this root they will be
condemned to hell. Therefore in the past people have tied the roots to the
bodies of animals and then used these animals in order to pull the roots out of
the soil.” [Wikipedia]
|
DSCN7058
[Mandragora officinarum]
Its blue-violet
flowers appear from March to April and have both male and female reproductive
organs; a fact that makes it easier for insects to pollinate them.
Kea:
15/03/2009, photo © Tony Taglides
 | |
|
