Plants of the Moon

Herbal lore and legends assign certain members of the vegetable kingdom to the dominion of the Moon. Silvery foliage, pale cream, yellow, or bright white flowers; a cooling nature and perhaps other mysterious properties as yet undefined form the reasons why the following list of green growing things are said to possess lunar energy:

Adder’s Tongue - An alien fern found in damp meadows and shaded woodlands. Its leaves have healing virtues and are most effective when gathered during the waning Moon. A single leaf imparts insight to its bearer.

Camphor - An evergreen tree, native to China and Japan, with aromatic wood and leaves producing a pungent substance widely used in medicine.

Clary - This garden herb’s name is a contraction of "clear-eye," referring to the use of its seeds to heal eye irritations. Clary wine is made from its blue-white blossoms and has narcotic and aphrodisiac qualities.

Cucumber - Slice a cucumber and the reason why it belongs to the Moon is quickly apparent. Probably of Asian or African origin where it has been cultivated for over 2000 years.

Gardenia - A native of China, grown in America since colonial days, its exquisite white flowers and lovely scent define it as a lunar emblem.

Honesty - Its seed pods called "silver pennies" are dried in the autumn for winter bouquets. An easily grown, attractive garden plant with fragrant flowers of white and purple, honesty belongs to the Moon.

Iris - Although named for the goddess of the rainbow, this particular species yields the substance called orris root used in magical rites. Native to Europe, its lilac to white flowers have strong lunar associations.

Jasmine - A night-blooming plant of tiny white flowers in the shape of stars with unforgettable fragrance.

Lemon - The fruit of the lemon tree provides the ultimate in cooling beverages. Lemons are used in witchcraft to counter ill-wishing and as guard-charms.

Lily - The Madonna Lily has been cultivated for over a thousand years. Its pure white trumpet -shaped flowers bloom in late June to greet the sign of Cancer and the rulership of the Moon.

Loosestrife - A wild meadow glowing with the bright purple spires of loosestrife is a common sight in the northeast. Its alien seeds were carried to America in imported wool and shaken out to take root in the fields surrounding mill towns. Its link to the Moon may be as a mystic source of joy and inspiration, or even as a means to tame beasts as its name implies.

Moonwort - An uncommon variety of fern found in dry meadows and northern hillsides. Its crescent-shaped segments in pairs along the frond are like tiny moons and give the plant its name. The alien wildling was brought to America by the colonists for healing fresh wounds and because of its magical reputation. According to folklore, moonwort opens locks and unshoes horses that trod upon it. Gather at full Moon.

Mugwort - The 18th-century Swedish botanist Linnaeus chose Artemisia as the genus name for silvery and gray-green leafy herbs. Mugwort was sacred to the Moon goddess in ancient Greece where it provided protection from evil and preserved energy on a journey.

Night-Blooming Cereus - A spectacular cactus of the tropics with large white flowers coming to bloom in June after dark.

Orpine - A succulent with clusters of purple flowers blooming in late June. A maiden with romance on her mind is advised to "collect a single blossom of orpine in silence on Midsummer Eve and sleep with it beneath your pillow in order to dream of the man who will one day be your lover."

Poppy - The opium poppy is native to Greece and the Orient. Although its narcotic properties can ease pain, fear of addiction precludes its use. Every source, ancient to modern, lists the poppy as a Moon plant.

Saxifrage - A common rock-garden plant in England that grows wild in Spain and the mountains of western Ireland. Mounds of tiny white flowers display a kinship with the Moon.

Southernwood - An herb praised by Greeks and Romans for its magical qualities as a love charm. A strong and strangely pleasing scent comes from its leaves.

Trefoil - The perennial red clover, one of the sacred Celtic herbs, was held in high esteem by Druidic priests who saw it as a symbol of earth, sea, and sky.

Willow - The white and black (pussy willow) willow trees have long been associated with water and the Moon.

Wormwood - Classical myths recount how the goddess of the Moon presented this aromatic herb to Chiron, the Centaur who taught the healing arts to Greek heroes.