Bachelor's-buttons, as you might suspect from the Latin genus and species, have a bit of folklore under its belt. Cyanus was a youth in Greek legend who worshipped Chloris (or Flora), and spent every waking hour gathering flowers for her altar. (Today we call that a stalker.) When he died, the goddess gave his name to the plant, though some believed she turned him into the plant. (And how many of us have spent a small fortune on printer ink cartridges, including Cyan? Come on. Let's see a show of hands.)
Centaurea comes to us from the Centaur Chiron, who cured a festering wound that was made with an arrow dipped in the Hydra's blood. The wound was cured by covering it with the flowers of this plant, which now bears his name as its genus name. This also gave the plant its reputation for great healing properties.
In Russian legend Bachelor's-buttons are known as Basilek. A young man of this name was once lured into some fields by the nymph Russalka. Once there, she turned him into the flower. (Boy, how many times has that happened to me? Lemme tell ya, nymphs are nothing but trouble.)
It has also been known as bluebottle, bluecap, blue bonnet and bluet.
Columbine, from the Latin columba, (or dove, which refers to the alleged resemblance of the flowers to a gathering of doves,) has a little more interesting folklore going for it. It was once called "lion's herb", because it was believed those great felines ate it. As a consequence, people believed that by merely rubbing their hands with it, they became more courageous and daring.
It was also an herb of Venus, and was emblematic of folly and deserted love. (Perhaps that explains my fondness for columbine 'cause I've sure felt deserted a few times.)
Coltsfoot's (Tussilago farfara) lore lies in its smoke. During World War II, soldiers in Europe smoked it as a substitute for tobacco, and through the ages the dried leaves were burnt and inhaled to treat lung infections. Some still refer to it as "coughwort."
Imagine that, a smoke that's good for you ...
"Myth and Folklore: Cornflower, Columbine and Coltsfoot" (c) 2003 Gregg M. Pasterick - All Rights Reserved.
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