One of the things I like most about my scientific studies is that there is a wonderful historic context to it all. We all think of scientific endeavour as being forward looking and cutting edge but a lot of what we are doing now can only be learned in the context of the past. For example, it’s only by understanding how global exploration worked that we understand invasive species and how they got here (or there of wherever).
Take the flora of the South West of England, in other words home, the flora has been radically altered in the years since global exploration started. One of the reasons is plant hunting – people leaving these shores to seek out and bring back exotic plants to amaze and thrill. In itself this is a remarkable story and one with plenty of excitement and blood-spilling. There are stories of plant hunters encountering all sorts of troubles in their trips to collect specimens, some lost their lives over an orchid or a clematis! (It’s true.) Plant hunters would arrive back in the UK in Plymouth and sell their collected specimens to posh local houses for their gardens, hence we have some of the most exotic and special gardens in the country down here.
What’s also interesting is how many of the plants we have found their way here in ships ballast. Basically ancient ships used soil to help keep an even keel and this was unloaded when the ship arrived in Plymouth. The soil contained an extensive seed bank and once exposed to light and rainfall, the seeds that were capable of thriving here just quietly went about their business and grew.
Some of the things we now think of as our own were brought here by invaders – the Romans brought us nettles because they used them to treat rheumatism. Some of the things other people would think of as their own, such as grapevines and tea plants we have adopted with gusto.
My little arrangement of very dried and not-quite-ancient but pretty old flowers are the groom’s buttonhole from my wedding. In other words, DM wore them on 24th July 2009 when we finally got around to tying the knot. They have been attached to my hat ever since. They have a preciousness to me that’s connected to that day but when you look at them closely you see their other precious significances.
The poppy – discovery of the latex excretions in poppy seed heads changed our world dramatically – it gave us morphine. The rose – it comes from Asia and brings us nourishment (vitamin C) and perfumes as well as beauty to our gardens. Lavender is an ancient antiseptic and was used in bedding to eliminate bedbugs and promote sleep. Although well past its best, the rosemary for remembrance, also has ancient medicinal virtues. The only real interloper is the highly invasive and toxic ivy, which, despite these features, is commonly used in wedding bouquets.
Plants are amazing. Even now, four years on, many of the seeds still contained in this bouquet will still be viable and could still become new plants. The seeds of some plants have extraordinary longevity. They can survive hundreds or even thousands of years just waiting for the conditions to be right for them to survive, then they grow like mad! I rather like that idea.
