State

A Tale ol 3 Weeds 1л1е summer plants which played important roles in the family life of another day. «I/ JAMES R. PADGETT As you speed along the modern mountain highways you'll likely never know the weeds are there . . . and what a pity! They mingle with shining goldenrod and bright yellow coneflow- ers. adorning late-summcr mountain meadows and roadsides with a subtle beauty that frustrates even the most accomplished artist. Your great-grandmother, and possi¬ bly your grandmother, too. if they were mountain women, knew them intimate¬ ly. Each of the weeds played a quiet but important role in yesteryear's family routine. And the old folks gave each a fitting name: Bone set. White snakcroot. and Queen of the Meadow. Botanists, in their orderly efforts to catalog every plant, place all three of the weeds in the Composite family along with the dandelion and daisy. Then they further relate them into the Eupatorium genus and assign each a botanical name: Eupatorium pcrfolia- tum. Eupatorium rugosum. and Eupa¬ torium purpurcum. respectively. Bitter Brew Most prominent, no doubt, in the memories of yesteryear’s children is Boncsct. This drab-looking little plant with ragged, flattened heads of dull- white flowers is fairly common in moist roadside openings and meadows. From its long-pointed, tough and wrinkled leaves that meet to encircle the main stem the mountain mother made bonc¬ sct tea. A viler tasting liquid was never brewed! It's doubtful how it got its name, but the tea made from Boncset is certainly bitter enough to set one’s bones! As the plant matured in late sum¬ mer. each child was forced to drink a cupful of the greenish-yellow tea to purge out all summer germs and to ward off winter maladies. Boncsct tea was also used for fever, for worms, for high and low blood pressure, and for the seven-year itch. If the tea actually has medicinal value is questionable. There’s no question, however, as to its preventative qualities; children franti¬ cally stayed well to avoid a dose of boncset tea! “Milk-Sickness” White snakcroot is easily distin¬ guished from Boncsct. and fortunately so because it’s poisonous! Its numer¬ ous flattened flower heads arc bright cottony white; its delicate triangular leaves dance gracefully away from the main stem. The plant's poisonous threat to man is through milk from cows that have eaten While snakcroot. Today’s milk, fortunately, comes from cows that are confined to improved pastures; there is very little chance for "milk-sickness" anymore. But in the days when Old Bossy roamed the open mountains she oc- WMc Snokcroot— Eupotanum rugoium Quccn-ot-lhc Mcodow Eupatorium purpurcum cusionally spiced her menu with a bite of White snakcroot. And when she did. her human family was in for some sick¬ ness — sometimes even death! The plant’s preference for the deep, rich soils of higher elevations resulted in many mountain peaks and ridges being indirectly named in its memory: "Milk- sick Knob" and “Milk-sick Ridge" are common features on detailed maps of the Appalachian Region. “Pea-Shooter Stem” The third weed, often called Joe- Pye-Wced after a long-ago herb doctor of that name, is better known by its stately appearance than by its herb qualities. Towering over all other late summer flowers, often more than ten feet tall, with its great lacy crown of delicate lavender blossoms, the plant well deserves the name "Queen of the Meadow." A harbinger of autumn, it dominates the roadside landscape, fin¬ ally bowing to the fall-colored hard¬ woods. Its large, tough stem is hollow, making an excellent pea-shooter. Small boys, armed with a pocketful of green wild cherries and a Joe pea-shoot¬ er. waged many glorious battles in summers bygone. Grandmothers lovingly gather Queen - of - the - Meadow flowerhcads and place them prominently about the 13 THE STATE. AuDUBT 1. 1970