Leaf and Terror: Volume 1

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Leaf and Terror
Volume 1

Happy Halloween! I’m excited to share some strange and interesting plant facts with you during one of my favorite times of year. Plants have always had a rich history in myths & legends and have captivated the imagination of humans across cultures since the beginning of time. They have even been incorporated into rituals as a way of connecting to the unknown and warding of unseen entities. Here are a few plants that have an infamous history of terror and misfortune. 

Happy Halloween! Let’s tell some scary plant stories.

Tamarind Plant : Haunted Tree

The Tamarind is a tree and a popular indoor and outdoor plant that is renowned for its beautifully willow structure . Tamarind trees are considered “spirit trees” . In the virgin islands these “spirit trees” are also known as “jumbie trees”. Caribbean culture deals a great bit with jumbies which can be ghosts, spirits, ancestors, or just paranormal entities housed in the tree. Supposedly jumbies can be good or bad, but they are most viewed as bad because they are not friendly to the living. In the Virgin Islands, children used to be warned not to go under a big Tamarind tree at night because the jumbies gather there and might follow them home. 

The belief that ghosts inhabit Tamarind trees dates back to India. The first Tamarind trees were brought to the Caribbean from India in 1647. It is a native to tropical regions of Africa, naturalized in India, and carries with it a rich history of folklore. In India it is believed that one should not fall asleep underneath a Tamarind tree at night because of the “acid” it exhales at night. If you have a Tamarind plant, best to keep it small!

If you have a Tamarind plant, best to keep it small!

Lilies : Flower of Death

Lilies are a very popular houseplant. They are regal, elegant, and come in a variety of colors. But lilies have a history of honoring the dead and bringing bad fortune to the living. In Feng Shui, Lilies are thought to transmit the spirit of grief & death and are frequently connected to funerals. Lilies are the most popular flowers at funerals here in the United States. They represent restored innocence in a soul after a person has died. White Lilies symbolize purity and sympathy. 

While many might say that Lillies bring good fortune there are others who carry a heavy superstition towards this plant. Lillies have also been known to be tied to the omen of life’s fragility . They have been represented as foreshadowing mortality and could spell misfortune if not handled properly. In rural communities , a vase of Lilies wilting quickly signals upcoming illness or misfortune. Bringing Lilies inside as a result of a sympathetic arrangement has also been linked to misfortune. In Russia, Lilies are commonly left out of wedding bouquets due to the superstition that it could mean the death of the newly wedded couple.

You have been forewarned. 

Mistletoe: Deadly History

It might seem a bit odd to bring up mistletoe on Halloween but mistletoe has its own insidious history. Knowing that, we couldn’t leave you hanging without covering this seemingly innocent plant’s horrific past. Mistletoe is commonly used as decoration but the plant itself is very toxic and European Mistletoe is extremely toxic. Mistletoe is categorized as a parasitic plant that latches on to numerous hosts. They are a pest to a variety of timber and crop trees. They cause unnatural growths known as “witches brooms,” which distort the branches and reduce the host survival and reproductive potential. 

In Norse mythology the mistletoe was used as a weapon. Baldur the son of Frigg, the goddess of love and desire and Odin, ruler of Valhalla, was plagued by nightmares of his own murder. This scared Frigg, so she spoke to every living thing on the planet and asked it not to hurt her son. Loki, the trickster, casually asked Frigg if she really spoke to every living thing. Trusting Loki she replied that she forgot the mistletoe mentioning that mistletoe is harmless so there was no need to ask it. Loki, being the cunning trickster that he is, shaped a spear out of dried mistletoe and tricked a blind gog, Hodr, into throwing it at Baldur, who was struck and killed. Frigg decreed that the mistletoe would no longer be used for violence and that is why in modern times it is used annually as a symbol of love.

Just be careful not to grow it around your other outdoor plants for it might still harm them!

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