06 June 2009

THIS is the fabled "tongue of dog"


I was startled to learn this week that some of the ingredients in the witches' brew in Macbeth were not what they seemed. "Tongue of Dog" (nowadays known as Common Hound's Tongue) is Cynoglossum officinale, a locally invasive species here in Wisconsin.

The "eye of newt" is mustard seed, "adder's fork" is a dogstooth violet. Other folk names for herbs and wild plants are listed here.

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