HERB SCENTS
Volume70 Issue8
January 2013
The Western Reserve Herb Society, a non-profit organization,
is dedicated to promoting the knowledge, use and delight of herbs through educational programs,
research, and sharing the experience of its members with the community.
Meetings
UNIT MEETING
MONTH AT A GLANCE
Wednesday, January 16
1/16…… Unit Meeting, CBG Smith Rm.
Karen Kennedy (HSA),
“Elderberry”
BOARD MEETING
HORTICULTURE
CULINARY
WRHS Board, Horticulture, and
Culinary meetings will not be held
during the month of January.
Please try to attend our Unit Meeting
on Wednesday, January 16th.
10:00 a.m. Smith Room
Bring dish to share and place setting.
Beverages provided.
Karen Kennedy
Herb Society of America
will present
“Elderberry – the Herb of the Year”
ANNOUNCEMENT
We are saddened by the passing
of member Marion Bryan on
Saturday, December 15, 2012. A
Memorial Service for Marion will be
held at noon on January 4, 2013, at
the Fairmount Presbyterian Church.
Marion’s obituary appeared Tuesday,
December 18, 2012, in the Cleveland
Plain Dealer.
Our beautiful garden gate
beckons all to enter.
Herb Scents: January 2013
SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE
We have two addenda this month,
both submitted by member Jane
Toth. She is reviving her
informational
column
entitled
“Botanical Roots”. This first piece
considers binomial nomenclature,
much used in the botanical world.
Jane has also included an article
about the Herb of the Year--Elder.
We look forward to learning from
these and future articles from Jane.
Notes from the Unit Chair
INSIGHT AND OUTLOOK
While reports for the Herb Fair and the Herb
Garden are turned in and records for the past year
updated, plans for the New Year are taking shape.
Chairpersons for Ways and Means and the Herb
Garden must be appointed in January.
It is my
pleasure to announce those positions are in place.
Ann Monastra has been appointed chairperson of
the Herb Garden. Ann is a very visible person in the
garden. She has chaired the Fragrance Section since
2007 having worked in the Dye Section previously.
Ann may be seen faithfully working in Fragrance most
Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the garden
season. Her organizational skills, knowledge, attention
to detail and gardening abilities are unequaled.
Please offer your help to Ann and let her know that
you will to work in the garden this season.
Lou Ann Hanink and Arlene Mann will again cochair the Ways and Means. Their leadership for the
October Herb Fair and the great success of this event
still rings clear in our memories. Let us begin thinking
now about using our skills and talents for our
traditional products and new products for the Herb
Fair. Lou Ann and Arlene will welcome your ideas and
comments.
It is a sigh of relief to have the holiday celebrations
behind us, and a sense of excitement to welcome in
the New Year. December proved to be a very busy
month, beginning with extensive pruning in our Herb
Garden; participation in CBG WinterGlow Activities,
Sachet Making with children, and the Affiliate Night;
The Herb Society of America’s Open House with Herbal
Programs by Sandy Melsop, Nancy Crouse and Lynne
Griffin, and a Membership Information Display by
Carolyn Borsini; and the beautiful Annual Christmas
Tea.
It has been our pleasure to share the joys and
successes of our busy fall with new members and
prospective members.
Our cooperative talents and
skills in gardening, programs, education and planned
events provide opportunities for friendship, learning
and sharing our knowledge with each other and our
very interested public.
It is to our advantage to be aware of our place in
University Circle and how the changes taking place in
both University Circle and CBG impact our position in
this area. Plan to attend upcoming Unit Meetings that
will give information regarding the changes in
University Circle and the ten-year Vibrant Future Plan
of CBG. Begin by reading the second publication of
CBG’s vibrant member publication, The Muse,
December 2012-February 2013. Mark your calendars
Herb Scents: January 2013
and plan to attend the January 26 th Sustainability
Symposium, and February 5th Orchid Mania Opening.
Let us look forward to exciting possibilities for 2013.
May we all experience a Happy, Healthy and
Successful New Year!
Kate Williams
Lynne Griffin & Nancy Gustafson
near WRHS’s
“Gifts from the Garden” Tree
Education
On Dec. 9th, WRHS was well represented at the
Herb Society Holiday Open House in Kirtland. Lynn
Griffin wowed the visitors with culinary treats, recipes
and decorations. Nancy Crouse and Sandy Melsop
offered herbal tea recipes and samples while serving
herbal tea and shortbread cookies. Carolyn Borsini,
with her friendly smile, was on hand with WRHS
membership information and a wonderful poster.
On a festive day it was wonderful to meet so many
"herb inspired" people. We even made a little profit
thanks to LouAnn's contribution of several jars of
Cranberry Chutney, Shirley Rickets beautiful Lavender
Wands, Lynn's "Rose" notecards and Sandy Micchia's
potpourri.
Many thanks to all who made it a rewarding day.
Sandy Melsop
HSA Open House
Herbs for Holiday Foods
Lynne Griffin Presenter
Sandy Melsop and
Carolyn Borsini make
sachets with children at
with Children at CBG
Page 2 of 5
Membership
NEW PROSPECTIVE MEMBER
January Birthdays
Please welcome our newest Prospective member,
Laurie Buss. I developed the sense during the Unit
Meeting Laurie attended, that some of you may know
her from her active days as a pediatrician. You also
may have met her through Cleveland Botanical
Garden's volunteer course, or her work as a Master
Gardener during the past couple of years.
What a gift to us. Laurie who has experience with
computers, loves weeding and is skilled at pruning!
She is also knowledgeable in the areas of botany and
ecology.
Besides gardening, both Horticulture and Culinary,
Laurie's experiences include Music, Teaching, Science
& Medicine. What a strong asset Laurie will be at Herb
Fair time -- she enjoys making herb jellies and
needlepoints. Special thanks to Arlene Mann for
introducing Laurie to us.
Birthday wishes to:
4 Sandra Micchia
16 Marilyn Mirwald
19 Gail Ames
23 Mardy Dane
27 Sally Kennedy
28 Priscilla Jones
Carolyn Borsini
Announcements
A TIMELY GIFT OPTION
Beautiful HSA Calendars are still available. To order
copies, please contact Katrinka Morgan at HSA.
440-256-0514
Table of delectable sweets at holiday tea
WRHS MEMBER ARTIST IN SHOW
Note from the Editor
Nancy Mueller will have her original paintings on
display at Beachwood Community Center from
Sunday January 6th through January 26th. An opening
reception is scheduled for Sunday, January 6th from
1:30 to 3:00pm. Three or four other area artists will
also be featured. The center is located at 25325
Fairmount Blvd. Call (216) 292-1970 for
more
information.
Thanks to all contributors who sent articles in
during this busy month.
The deadline for submitting articles for the next
issue of the HERB SCENTS is Friday, January 18th.
Mailing Address
Cleveland Botanical Garden
11030 East Boulevard
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
216-721-1600
www.westernreserveherbsociety.org
Mardy Dane
Unit Chair
Kate Williams
24675 Hilltop Drive
Beachwood, Ohio 44122
216-382-9544
[email protected]
Editor
Mardy Dane
8789 Eagles Nest Lane
Kirtland, Ohio 44094
440-256-8857
[email protected]
Articles and notices should be submitted by the third Friday of each month to the editor.
Herb Scents: January 2013
Page 3 of 5
Addendum One
BOTANICAL ROOTS
by
M. Jane Toth, MA Ed.
In the early 2000’s I wrote an occasional column for Herb Scents, called “Botanical Roots”
where I could share my plant knowledge as a botanist, horticulturalist, and educator. It’s time to
revive it. One of my columns was about binomial nomenclature, the two name system invented in the
mid-18th century by Swedish naturalist, Carolus Linnaeus to name organisms so they could be
universally identified. Since elsewhere in Herb Scents I’ve told you about Elder and its botanical
Linnaean classification, I thought it might be a good idea to reprise and revise parts of that original
article.
In most cases the botanical name for a plant species is a Latinized combination of two names:
the genus, a noun describing a characteristic of a group of plants, and the specific epithet, an
adjective describing a quality of a particular plant within the genus. For example pineapple sage,
Salvia elegans.
The genus name, Salvia comes from the Latin word for salvation; sage was
associated with longevity. The species name, elegans means elegant; pineapple sage is elegant!
When writing botanical names, both the genus name and the specific epithet must be either
italicized or underlined. (Salvia elegans or Salvia elegans). The first letter of the genus name is
always capitalized; the first letter of the specific epithet is never capitalized. Seed catalogues and
other publications sometimes take liberties with these rules. If the genus name has been mentioned
once, subsequent entries are abbreviated as in S. elegans. If the exact species is not listed, the
specific epithet is abbreviated sp. or in the plural form, spp. as in Salvia spp. If a species is closely
related to another species, it can be classified as a subspecies as in American elder, Sambucus nigra
ssp. canadensis where ssp. stands for subspecies.
Naturally occurring variation and propagated cultivar names are added onto the botanical
name as follows. The naturally occurring variation of aquatic mint with a crisp flavor is Mentha
aquatica var.crispa. (Note how the name is written.) Cultivar names are written in Roman type
enclosed in single quotation marks with an initial capital letter. Lavandula angustifolia 'Munstead
Dwarf' is a lavender selected for its dwarf habit.
Hybrids have their own naming sub-system. When two species of one genus are crossed, the
new plant has a new species name with a lower case x placed in front of the species name. For
example, Mentha x piperata is a cross between two species of Mentha. When species of two different
genera are crossed the “x” is placed in front of the new genus name: xHeucherella tiarelloides is a
cross between Heuchera sanguinea and Tiarella cordifolia.
Herb Scents: January 2013
Page 4 of 5
Addendum Two
ELDER – THE HERB OF THE YEAR
by
M. Jane Toth, MA Ed.
This year, 2013, we celebrate Elder. Elder as in Elderberries. If you have European culinary
and medicinal leanings, Elder as in Elderflowers. In the decade that I’ve led the Dye section of our
Garden where Elder grows, I’ve come to know and love this plant. In the ensuing months, together,
we shall explore the multifacets of this interesting herb.
Let’s begin with its name and family. The common name, Elder, probably derives from the
Anglo-Saxon word Ellaern or Aeld meaning fire or kindle Pith inside young branches that was pushed
out forming a tube which was then used to blow on a fire to get it going. Hence another common
name for this plant is Pipe-Tree.
The genus name, Sambucus, comes from ancient Greek and may refer to sambuke, a string
instrument made of elderwood. Pipes, possibly the original Pan pipes, were made from its pithy
branches. There are several species of Sambucus. S. nigra is known as common elder, European
elder, or black elder and is native to most of Europe. The species in our Dye section is S. canadensis,
known as American Elder, common elder, Rob elder, or sweet elder. It is native to the Americas east
of the Rocky Mountains and south through eastern Mexico and Central America. Because S.
canadensis is closely related to S. nigra, some taxonomists classify it as a subspecies of S. nigra under
the name of Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis.
Until recently elder was classified in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. Recent analysis of
morphological and biochemical data suggests that it should be classified in the family Adoxaceae,
because it is more closely related to other plants in this family like the viburnums. Hence we will need
to revise our plant label!
Elder in flower.
Herb Scents: January 2013
Clusters of berries.
Page 5 of 5