HERB - Charlemagne--hang on!

[Rooscc@aol.com]

First, to find the original you will have to wade into an
area I haven't gone: Monumenta Germaniae Historica, 
Leges, sect II, vol. 1.--Try a big research library.

The list I gave is in (British) English, common names.

16. squill ?--Urginea maritima (L) Baker = sea onion

18. dragons?--Dracunculus vulgaris Schott. The same
name (dragantea) is used for tarragon (Artemisia 
dracunculus L.), but mostly later in period.

 22. ammi?--no binomial given. My guess is that this is
the plant currently being sold as giant queen anne's lace.

23. skirret?--Sium sisarum L. A skinny whitish root
sometimes available in produce section of your grocery

 26. rocket?--Eruca sativa, Mill. Hey guys, this is the 
old name for Arugula, the yuppie salad plant.

 30. alexanders?--Smyrnium olusatrum L. Delightful 
plant that tastes something like celery. The leaves
are available in the winter (early spring up here), then
it dies down in hot weather.

34. savin?--Juniperus sabina L. I see this mentioned
frequently but haven't grown it myself. I understand it
is a popular groundcover in California.

38. dittander?--Lepidium latifolium L.--a relative of 
garden cress, L. sativum.

49. asarabacca?--Asarum europaeum L.= wild ginger

54. orach?--Atriplex hortensis L. Increasingly available
from seedsmen--very ornamental, but rather insipid
tasting.

55. blite? --Chenopodium ssp. Could be strawberry blite,
or Good King Henry--a number of species were used as potherbs

77. service?--Sorbus domestica L. Pretty tree rather
like dogwood in size, berries are tasty, but the birds
rip them off--look for it in catalogs specializing in
gardens to attract wildlife.

78. medlar?--Mespilus germanica L. Making a comeback 
as an ornamental (see recent Wayside catalog)--very
pretty! The fruits don't have much to them--mostly
skin and bones, although I have heard there are better
cultivars available. And don't be put off by descriptions
of the fruit having to rot: bletting medlars is not
unlike ripening pears in storage, or waiting to eat
American persimmons until after frost, when they are
sweet and gooey! Medlars do taste like spiced apple-
sauce.

It is my understanding that Harvey's book is out of print,
at least the Timber Press (North American rights) edition.
But I have a listing for a paperback edition --London:
Batsford, 1990. J. H. Harvey is a recognized expert
in this area, even though this particular book is about
as poorly organized and edited as I've seen (a ton of
good stuff is in it, however). He has published numerous
articles in a journal called "Garden History" and/or
"Garden History Society Newsletter"--I don't know
if they are different publications or a name change
in the same publication--which I'd love to have copies of.
Alysoun de Ros
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