Three Worts

On a recent walk we found three wild plants which are all 'worts', their names being connected to early beliefs in what use they had. So this very beautiful little wildflower is butterwort, its name coming from the belief that rubbing a paste made from the plant onto the udders of cows would protect their milk from evil intentions.

Butterwort grows in acidic and nutrient-poor environments so it has evolved to be insectivorous: it traps insects in a sticky paste on its leaves, and absorbs the nutrients released.

Similarly, milkwort's name comes from the belief that if cattle ate it, their milk yield would increase, as would that of nursing human mothers.

There are two very similar species of milkwort that look like this. This one is common milkwort as its leaves alternate on either side of the stem, while heath milkwort's leaves are opposite each other on the stem. This rather lovely rich blue is milkwort's common colour but it also occurs in pink and white.

The origin of lousewort's name comes from the belief that, if livestock ate it, they would get lice. Obviously this isn't true, but lousewort is semi-parasitic, connecting its roots to those of nearby plants and extracting water and nutrients for its own use.

It's quite difficult to pin down the meaning of the suffix 'wort' except that it seems to be used for plants which, like these three, have specific uses, and so could be called herbs.