Legends and Lore of Texas Wildflowers

Louise Lindsey Merrick Natural Environment Series

by Elizabeth Silverthorne

In this volume, Elizabeth Silverthorne has gathered an intriguing array of folklore about fourty-four of Texas' most fascinating wildflowers, such as water lily, Queen Anne's Lace, honeysuckle, dogwood, and morning glory.

In ancient times when people were more aware of their dependence on plants to provide food, medicine, fuel, and materials for clothing, there grew up a vast amount of folklore, some of which is described in these wildflower profiles. Over the years much of the folk wisdom about plants was forgotten as more sophisticated scientific technology ruled the world. Only recently have people again become aware that the lowliest wildflower may harbor an important secret.

The paintbrush may be seen in reddish-orange abundance along Texas highways. Native Americans reportedly made a weak tea from this flower to treat rheumatism, secretly mixed it with food to create a secret love charm, and derived a poison from it to use against their enemies.

Other common roadside blooms have had equally amazing uses. Violets have been used to cure cancer. Sunflowers were planted by nineteenth-century pioneers to protect families from malaria. Buttercups were used, in ancient times, to treat leprosy, plague, and insanity.

For each of the flowers in this book, Silverthorne describes the significance and origin of its common name, identifies where the flower grows naturally, what uses it has had historically, and what legends are associated with it. She offers everyone who has admired the beauty of wildflowers a fuller appreciation of them.

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

Reviews

[Erica]

I really enjoyed this book! Although the writing style can be a tad choppy at times, it has great information about the history of the flowers. It tells you how the flower got to Texas, its common purposes, and best of all explains the history of each flower in literature. If you want some interesting lore about flowers in Texas, this is a very readable place to start.

[Shelby]

very fun and informative. The stories are memorable and I will think of them whenever I come across these plants in the wild.

[Alicia]

An absolute treasure! I’ll reference it for years to come for health and garden tips.

[Alana]

Wish there were photos or botanical drawings with each chapter, the excerpts and factoids were interesting.

[Grace]

A l good grandmotherly book that gives a series of high level introductions to texas wildflowers. I liked the mythology and herbalism more than Victorian flower code but you win some lose some

[Marlene]

Wonderful tidbits of Texas lore and history makes this little wildflowers book worth a read. Ms. Silverthorne did a remarkable job on its research. I learned so much and loved every minute!

[Jordan Alyssa H]

Bought it to help me figure out what flowers I want for a tattoo sleeve, stayed for the folklore.