Just Weeds: History, Myths, and Uses - Hardcover

Jones, Pamela

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0135141184 ISBN 13: 9780135141182

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1991

Synopsis

Describes thirty of the most common wild plants found around the world, including yarrow, chicory, Queen Anne's lace, watercress, plantain, sumac, dandelion, and poison ivy

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

At last, a book that justifies not spending endless days trying to eradicate the usually unwanted, nearly always useless plants called weeds. Many of Jones's ( How Does Your Garden Grow ) weeds are in fact considered wildflowers (yarrow, Queen Anne's laceWeb ) or herbs (purslane, watercress), and in her view they're quite all right. Partly due to Jones's obvious delight in rescuing unheralded orphans of nature, they gradually win our respect as we read about the many uses, historical and modern, of the plants. Ground ivy, for example, was employed by the Saxons in clarifying beer before hops were known; the juice of its leaves, high in vitamin C, was prized in treating scurvy. The various virtues Jones extols may not convince all gardeners to actually cultivate weeds, but may induce a less deadly fanaticism in pulling them. As well as providing detailed descriptions of each weed, the author includes a helpful appendix of folk remedies (for acne, freckles, warts) and an exhaustive list of common names.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Jones, author of How Does Your Garden Grow? ( LJ 3/1/89), hopes to so impress readers with the value of common weeds (for purifying the blood, treating the bite of a mad dog, and the like) that the very term "weed" will eventually be "abolished altogether for being one of the most intolerant, negative words." To this end, she profiles 30 favorite plants such as burdock, poison ivy, and pokeweed, emphasizing their use in herbal folklore and cooking. Jones, therefore, does not duplicate Sara Stein's My Weeds ( LJ 6/15/88), which used common plants to illustrate botanical principles. However, it's hard to imagine that anyone prepared to drink couch-grass tea hasn't already found inspiration in one of the many herbalism books on library shelves. Gardeners will view most of these plants with "intolerance" no matter what Jones says. Buy where demand warrants.
- Beth Clewis, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community Coll. Lib., Richmond, Va.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0135141184
• ISBN 13: 9780135141182
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 303