[HN Gopher] 17th-century botanists filled their gardens with pla...
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       17th-century botanists filled their gardens with plants from around
       the world
        
       Author : benbreen
       Score  : 13 points
       Date   : 2021-08-04 05:19 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.laphamsquarterly.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.laphamsquarterly.org)
        
       | amysox wrote:
       | Sometimes this led to noxious weeds being spread, such as the
       | giant hogweed _(Heracleum mantegazzianum),_ which was brought to
       | Europe and North America from the Caucasus starting in the early
       | 1800 's as an ornamental plant. Turns out it has phototoxic sap,
       | causing blisters and scars if you touch it and then expose that
       | skin to the sun.
       | 
       | This was immortalized by the prog-rock band Genesis in their song
       | "The Return of the Giant Hogweed":
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTuJQL8GBqY
        
         | Arrath wrote:
         | Likewise with some species of blackberries, but at least they
         | have the benefit of providing a tasty snack before I go after
         | them with tools and a fury.
        
         | peanut_worm wrote:
         | I had no idea that plant was toxic or invasive. I used to pick
         | the flowers sometimes. It is all over the place in Florida.
        
           | amysox wrote:
           | It's phototoxic. If you touch it, getting the sap on you, and
           | then expose that skin to sunlight, it causes blisters and
           | scarring. That's caused by a chemical in the plant called
           | furanocoumarin. (If you touch it, wash that area with soap
           | and cold water, and avoid exposing it to sunlight for at
           | least 48 hours.)
           | 
           | That's even mentioned in the lyrics to the Genesis song:
           | "Strike by night! / They are defenceless / They all need the
           | sun to photosensitize their venom"
        
         | BitwiseFool wrote:
         | It's a tragic shame that people didn't have the concept of
         | invasive species back then.
        
       | dukeofdoom wrote:
       | Monty Don's around the world in 80 gardens, is a great series
       | that talks about this period, by taking you to some of the worlds
       | most impressive gardens, from a time when gardens were meant to
       | convey power and status and were play toys of the rich and full
       | of one-upmanship.
       | 
       | Here's an episode.
       | 
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iboabQkTXRk
        
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       (page generated 2021-08-05 23:02 UTC)