''Lunaria annua'', called honesty or annual honesty in English, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the cabbage and mustard family Brassicaceae. It is
native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
to the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
and south west Asia, and cultivated throughout the
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...
world.
Description
It is an
annual
Annual may refer to:
*Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year
** Yearbook
** Literary annual
*Annual plant
*Annual report
*Annual giving
*Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco
*Annuals (band), ...
or
biennial
Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years.
In particular, it can refer to:
* Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and th ...
growing to tall by broad, with large, coarse, pointed oval leaves with marked serrations. The leaves are hairy, the lower ones long-stalked, the upper ones stalkless.
[Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012 ''Webb's An Irish Flora.'' Cork University Press ] In spring and summer it bears terminal
racemes of white or violet flowers, followed by showy, green through light brown, translucent, disc-shaped
silicle
A silique or siliqua (plural ''siliques'' or ''siliquae'') is a type of fruit (seed capsule) having two fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. When the length is less than three times the width of the dried fruit i ...
s (not true botanical seedpods). When a silicle is ripe and dry, a valve on each of its sides readily falls off, and its seeds fall off a central membrane which has a silvery sheen, in diameter; the membrane can persist on a plant throughout a winter depending on the weather.
These silicles are much used in dry
floral arrangements.
Etymology
The Latin name ''lunaria'' means "moon-shaped" and refers to the shape and appearance of this species' silicles.
The common name "honesty" arose in the 16th century, and may also relate to the translucence of its silicle membranes. In South East Asia, it is called the "money plant" and in the United States it is commonly known as "silver dollars", "Chinese money", or "Chinese coins" because its silicle membranes have the appearance of silvery coins. For the same reason, in French it is known as ''monnaie du pape'' ("Pope's money"). In Denmark it is known as ''judaspenge'' and in Dutch-speaking countries as ''judaspenning'' (both meaning "coins of Judas"), an allusion to the story of
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betraye ...
and the
thirty pieces of silver
Thirty pieces of silver was the price for which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, according to an account in the Gospel of Matthew 26:15 in the New Testament. Before the Last Supper, Judas is said to have gone to the chief priests and agreed to hand ...
he was paid for betraying Christ.
Symbolism
In the language of flowers, the plant represents honesty, money, and sincerity. In witchcraft, the honesty plant is considered protective, being thought to keep away monsters. The plant is also used in spells for prosperity, the flat pods (when ripe and silvery) resembling coins and therefore being seen as symbolising promises of wealth. In the earliest surviving recipe for a
flying ointment
Flying ointment is a hallucinogenic ointment said to have been used by witches in the practice of European witchcraft from at least as far back as the Early Modern period, when detailed recipes for such preparations were first recorded.
Name ...
(recorded by
Bavarian physician
Johannes Hartlieb
Johannes Hartlieb (c. 1410Hartlieb's year of birth is unknown; his existence is first attested as the author of ''Kunst der Gedächtnüß'', written during 1430–32, and an estimate of his year of birth as either "c. 1400" or "c. 1410" can be ...
circa 1440), ''Lunaria'' is included as the herbal ingredient corresponding
astrologically to the moon and therefore to be picked on the lunar day of Monday.
Cultivation
This plant is easy to grow from seed and tends to naturalize. It is usually grown as a biennial, being sown one year to flower the next. It is suitable for cultivation in a shady or dappled area, or in a wildflower garden, and the flowers and dried silicles are often seen in
flower arrangements.
Numerous
varieties
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
and
cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
s are available, of which the white-flowered ''L. annua'' var. ''albiflora'' and the
variegated
Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants. Species with variegated individuals are sometimes found in the understory of tropical rainforests, and this habitat is the s ...
white ''L. alba'' var. ''albiflora'' 'Alba Variegata' have won the
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
's
Award of Garden Merit.
Gallery
File:Lunaria annua seeds J3.JPG, Unripe seedpod in July
Image:Lunaria annua detail.jpg, Detail of flower
Image:Lunaria_annua_chile.JPG, White-flowered form
File:Lunaria annua storage roots.jpg, Storage roots at the end of first growth period
See also
*
Dame's violet, ''Hesperis matronalis'', a similar and related plant, but with long cylindrical seedpods instead of flat papery disks
* ''
Lunaria rediviva
''Lunaria rediviva'', known as perennial honesty, is a species of plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae. This hairy-stemmed herbaceous perennial is found throughout Europe. It often grows in damp woods on lime substrates. Growing up to tall ...
'', perennial honesty
* ''
Pilea peperomioides
''Pilea peperomioides'' (), the Chinese money plant, UFO plant, pancake plant or missionary plant, is a species of flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in southern China.
History
The Scottish ...
'', another plant known colloquially as the Chinese money plant
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q240620
Annual plants
Biennial plants
Brassicaceae
Garden plants
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus