Authors:
Historic Era:
Historic Theme:
Subject:
October 1970 | Volume 21, Issue 6
Authors:
Historic Era:
Historic Theme:
Subject:
October 1970 | Volume 21, Issue 6
This is a celebration of weeds. A bouquet of unappreciated, misunderstood, and hence unwanted flora. Aliens, mostly, though many came to these shores with the first colonists and have long since qualified for American citizenship.
This is a celebration of weeds. A bouquet of unappreciated, misunderstood, and hence unwanted flora. Aliens, mostly, though many came to these shores with the first colonists and have long since qualified for American citizenship.
Weeds. Pests. Worthless. Tenacious. Noxious. Pernicious. Kill them. Hoe them. Yank them. Mow them. Spray them. And pay heed to The Yearbook of Agriculture 1962: Weeds cause losses of millions of dollars to American agriculture, because they reduce yields of crops and prevent the efficient use of land. Some people are allergic to the pollen of some weeds. Poison ivy causes discomfort to many persons. Weeds harbor insects and disease-producing organisms that attack crop plants. They steal water and nutrients from valuable plants. They increase costs of labor and equipment and reduce land values. Thorny weeds discourage hand harvesting. Weeds clog harvesting equipment and prevent recovery of full harvest. Weeds clog up irrigation and drainage canals. Weeds interfere with swimming, boating, and fishing. They are costly to control in rights-of-way and lawns.
Terrible weeds.
Wonderful weeds. Beautiful. Bountiful. Fascinating. Historic. Succulent. Healthful. Helpful. Enjoy them. Study them. Pick them. Savor them. Cultivate them. Cherish them.
Unfortunately, no bureaucrat in the vast Washington halls of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has ever sung the praises of weeds. Perhaps the closest thing is a forgotten little book of two decades ago, Weeds: Guardians of the Soil , by Joseph A. Cocannouer, professor of conservation and botany at the University of Oklahoma. Weeds, he said in their defense, bring essential minerals from the subsoil to the depleted topsoil. Weeds restore eroded land. Weeds, rotated with commercial crops, greatly improve fertility. Weeds make good companion plants, enabling surface-feeders to obtain water during dry spells. Weeds are indicators of specific soil deficiencies. And weeds make good eating—for both man and beast.
That last virtue has not gone unnoticed by botanists, naturalists, physicians, and herbalists from Dioscorides of the first century to John Gérard of the sixteenth to Euell Gibbons of the twentieth.
But first: What is a weed?
The usual answer: a plant out of place.
Or, as defined in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language , “A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome; especially, one growing where it is not wanted in cultivated ground.”
Given that broad meaning, and the right set of circumstances, it might be difficult for any plant not to qualify as a weed at least some of the time. Perhaps the weed philosophy was explained best by John M. Fogg, Jr., professor of botany at the University of Pennsylvania, in his handbook of Weeds of Lawn and Garden , published by the University of Pennsylvania