Ancient Greek plant Silphium.credit: wikimedia commons / Eckard Wolff-Postler cc by 3.0
Ancient Greek plant Silphium.credit: wikimedia commons / Eckard Wolff-Postler cc by 3.0
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.
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.
I thought it was ‘PLANET!’
Can you smoke it?
Reminds me of cauliflower only yellow
Oh heck—I’ve been cutting down that stuff in my field for years thinking it was a noxious weed...Can I get money for it?
I don’t know how many plants are still growing but the seeds are going to be very popular. Sounds like a money maker.
Where there’s one, there’s more than one.
And hopefully someone with some integrity will be in charge of propagating it.
Very interesting looking plant.
