Gerês

Gerês

Sunday 19 April 2015


Asphodelus lusitanicus


Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae

 You can find the Asphodelus in the mountains of the Nacional Park. It's an herbaceous evergreen plant that only develops a flowering stem in Spring. It's common in areas affected by fires.


This flower had a strong mithological meaning in Classic times. The Greeks though that one's soul would roam in Asphodel meadows after death. They planted them in graves, relating them to the passage to afterlife. 




 It is also in the Greeks that we find references to their edibility. The poor used to eat their roots (tubers). They must be cooked, though, otherwise they are slightly venomous. The flowering stem and seeds are also edible when cooked.

 Rabbits seem to avoid eating them.




2 comments:

  1. O Aphodelus serotinus não é referenciado para o Gerês. Esse é o Asphodelus lusitanicus. A floração e os frutos do A. serotinus são diferentes: http://www.flora-on.pt/#/1Asphodelus+serotinus

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    1. Tem razão, obrigado! Este blog ainda é uma semente e tem muito por melhorar antes de o começar a divulgar seriamente.

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