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Article: Nature Notebook
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- August 4, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Their majesty lies in their mystery
If I were asked what betony is - and did not know - I think I
would say it was an obscure sin of the Catholic church, perhaps
related to simony. "Father forgive me: I have committed betony."
I think I might say the same about agrimony, and maybe about
melilot, and definitely about weld. "Is that all, my son?" "Well,
Father..." "Yes?" "I have also committed agrimony, melilot and
weld."
Good to get that off my chest. And I would Go In Peace. Yet these
are not sins, which in a way is a pity, because they would surely be
transgressions of the most exotic or, at least, the most specialised
kind. They are English wild flowers, and I increasingly find them as ...