picture Wood betony/question Joanie

January 30, 2001

Okay- Joanie- how is this or why is this- It seems that Wood Betony has another botanical name- Pedicularis canadensis- which has the same profile as Stachys Betonic and looks the same. Pedicularis canadensis is the one that seems to be used. Can you offer suggestions or am I just confused as normal??? JuneGet your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

January 30, 2001

In one of the herbal books I had, it had a teeny picture of a very

narrow pointed leaf, with little ~ almost cloverlike pink flowers on

it.... That's why I was looking for a better picture!

June, Thanks for the inform from Mrs. Grieves's Herbal...... I've got

that book on order. Probably has lots of un " edited " information in it!

Thanks again!

Jennifer

June Sinclair wrote:

> Okay- Joanie- how is this or why is this-

>

> It seems that Wood Betony has another botanical name- Pedicularis

> canadensis- which has the same profile as Stachys Betonic and looks

> the same. Pedicularis canadensis is the one that seems to be used. Can

> you offer suggestions or am I just confused as normal???June

--

Health, Hope, Joy & Healing :

May you Prosper, even as your Soul Prospers 3John 2

Jennifer

Email advice is not a substitute for medical treatment.

____________

«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

January 30, 2001

<<It seems that Wood Betony has another botanical name- Pedicularis canadensis- which has the same profile as Stachys Betonic and looks the same. Pedicularis canadensis is the one that seems to be used. Can you offer suggestions or am I just confused as normal???June>>

yikes!!!

now I just answered a more general question about botanical name changes offlist....

but THIS is something else.

these are two separate plants, in two different plant families, and with totally different properties

but both with the common name " betony "

I do not personally know Stachys Betonica....oh, wait, yes I do...it is an " alternate " or " older " name for Stachys officinalis...which means the " Stachys, or Betony (common name) sold in shops (as medicine) " ....but I DO know a lot of other plants in the Stachys genus.

Stachys palustrus in a local one here. These are NOT wood-betony...but some are called " betony " ...and

cultivated widely as ornamentals. They are in the MINT family...Labiatae or Lamiaceae. MORE commonly called hedge nettle in botany books,,,and i mentioned it in my little piece on nettles last week.

But in the mint family..not smelling like that, but with square stems and mint-like flowers. And looking more like spearmint than the picture you sent.

Now Pedicularis canadensis IS " Wood Betony " and is the picture you sent in. It is also called " Lousewort " .

It is NOT in the mint family, but in the Scrophularia, or Figwort family...along with mullein.

It does not have square stems. The flowers are those of the Figwort family, with those big old overhanging hoods.

Now..Mrs. Grieve's book does have mistakes..I have found quite a few. ANd the books that copied hers and others, have more mistakes. Before Latin names, it was worse, as qualities ascribed to one plant, would often be written down

to another with a similar common name. When Grieves copied from ancient sources like Pliny and Paracelsus and all, she often goofed up....Loosestrife is an example of this..as she uses the same material in articles that describe both types..the yellow and the purple..though they are not related or otherwise at all alike.

For a very modern example of this....lots of people think that Valium was derived from Valerian, because of their names...but they are totally unrelated in action and in source.

Another example is the internet hoax email that says that Canola or Mustard seed are the source of mustard gas..where in reality they have nothing to do with each other either, except for a resemblance in smell.

ANd...Bergamot is another...one is a mint..Bee Balm being the red version...the other, which flavors Earl Grey Tea, is a type of orange...as in citrus...more closely related to Rue than to Bee Balm.

SO...if you have sources that give identical properties to both of these plants Betony and wood Betony...well, one of them is wrong...

and it may be a lot of fun to find out which.

so..the short answer is...different plants...totally...just similar names. okay? more questions?

Joanie