Tuesday, 7:30 AM. 64 degrees, wind W, light. It is raining, the sky is overcast, and the barometer predicts rain. It will be a “desk day” for me.
The common tansy, Tannecetum vulgare, in the Composite family, is blooming everywhere now. It is hardy, vigorous and can grow fairly tall. It is native to Europe and been long grown as a garden plant and medicinal herb, and is naturalized virtually everywhere. It can easily take over a garden so must be used with care.
Tansy is very strong scented and was used as a strewing herb in the days when most houses had dirt floors. For the same reason it was used as a funeral herb, and its ancient name is “everlasting.” It was much used in Europe at Easter, as a reminder of the “bitter herbs” of the Jewish Passover, and tansy cakes, omelets and puddings were very common at Easter in England (using young leaves as flavor). The root and also the seeds and leaves are reputed to be very efficacious in treating gout (I haven’t tried it as yet myself) and similar ailments, and the macerated leaves were used as a poultice for sprains and bruises. As always, I do not recommend any medicinal use of plants without consulting a medical doctor.
In any case, this is a very beautiful roadside plant, and I particularly like the English common name, “buttons,” which accurately describes the compound florets and distinguishes it from the also common and rather similar yellow millfoil.
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