Cornflower
It was the therapeutic substances present in Thornapple, including a high content of toxic alkaloids, which marked this plant out for attention centuries ago.
Cyanus, the botanical name designating the species, recalls the nymph Cyane, daughter of the river god Meiandros: she was changed into a dark blue spring whose waters fed the small brook Anapis near Syracuse.
Sun Spurge is a cosmopolitan plant introduced from Europe to North America and Australia. It is plentiftil on fallow land as well as in cultivated fields, particularly among root crops, and it is also found in residential neighbourhoods and vegetable gardens.
In Arab countries, Thornapple was added to drinks and tobacco to produce similar euphoric effects. Today, it remains an effective ingredient in anti-asthmatic preparations.
The flowering period is from June to September. When ripe, the fruit bursts to release the seeds which shoot out in all directions.
Originally native to the Mediterranean region and the Near East, the Cornflower has since become established almost worldwide. In dry hot weather it grows very rapidly and the ripe fruits, achenes, fall to the ground, sometimes germinating within ten days. However, the seeds may remain viable for up to a decade.
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