Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris)
Flowers: Early summer. Height: Up to 90cm (36in).
Due to the shape of the flowers, it was also known as Granny’s Bonnet. Columbine is derived from Columba meaning ‘dove’ as the petals were said to look like five doves sat in a ring and it was a popular choice to put in church carvings and in medieval paintings. Aquilegia is derived from the Latin aquila meaning ‘eagle’ owing to a similarity between the spurs of the flowers resembling an eagle’s talons. The Romans knew it as Venus’ flower due to its colourful petals and delicate shape.
Medicinal: One of eight main herbs used against the plague (or the “pestilence”) in 1373. It was a treatment for the measles and the pox until the 18th century. Culpeper’s Complete Herbal (1653) believed “a seed taken in wine causeth a speedy delivery of women in childbirth” whilst also advocating that the leaves of Columbine were used in lotions for sore mouths and throats.
