Ancient Greek plant Silphium.credit: wikimedia commons / Eckard Wolff-Postler cc by 3.0
Posted on 08/17/2023 10:06:04 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Ancient Greek plant Silphium.credit: wikimedia commons / Eckard Wolff-Postler cc by 3.0
Thanks Diana in Wisconsin.
I wonder if this is the idea behind the plant King’s Foil in Tolkien’s books?
Very interesting. I am somewhat skeptical, but this would be awesome. The ancient world thought quite highly of it.
“miracle” For what??
Silphium: Ancient Greeks :: Hemp: Founding Fathers
1000 farmers likely muttering.....I’ve had that damn weed in my garden for years and have done just about everything to kill it. It’s just another stinkweed.
Similar nomenclature to Milk Thistle (Silybum)
Looks similar but yellow instead of purple…
Unrelated to other poster here:
https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Sil-#:~:text=Etymologyedit%20edit%20source,%2FTHIL%20%22shine%20silver%22.
LOL, Jackie Chiles was hilarious.
It looks a bit like a Queen Anne’s Lace and Dandelion variant.
I would love to get hold of some seeds of that. I’m sure they could be cultivated, it’s just a matter of finding the right technique.
Ancient Plant BUMP!
Looks like broccoli.................
Silphium, also known as silphion, laserwort, or laser, is an unidentified plant that was used in classical antiquity as a seasoning, perfume, aphrodisiac, medicine, and contraceptive by ancient Greeks and Romans. It was the essential item of trade from the ancient North African city of Cyrene and was so critical to the Cyrenian economy that most of their coins bore a picture of the plant. The plant was once the most sought-after product in the Mediterranean even before the rise of Athens and the Roman Empire. It oozed with an odiferous sap that was so delicious and useful, the plant was eventually worth its weight in gold.
That’s what I think. Not quite like yarrow, more like Queen Anne’s lace.
Balm of Gilead was recently revived as well too.
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