The Plant Report, Belgrade (pt.1)
Updated: May 10, 2022
Because I had no one else to discuss this with on the trip and I'm a nerd
If you know me, you know I like to name plants I know when I'm out walking, and when I see something interesting I don't know the name of, I must find out what it is. The most fun is when I hypothesize what family or genus a new plant would be in and find out my guess was right.
Now, I may be the only plant person on my trip, but that won't stop me. I hope to in the future run into locals with knowledge of the plants. This is especially valuable for me too, as I will be revising and enriching my research paper on the symbolic and medicinal uses of plants in the Balkans, which I'd share here if you are interested in reading. This is a key part of our studies here, and each student chooses their own topic. Mine follows my fascination.
Anyhow, on to my finds!
Allium spp.- Allium
One of my favorite flowers in Minecraft as well as real life.
A few dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) established themselves in planter boxes, and I think someone decided to keep them there based on how mature they are. Dandelions have medicinal culinary value and have been prized for thousands of years, though in modern US lawn culture they are treated as a weed. I wonder if the culture here is different! Lawns are an American obsession and many places garden their property differently. Stay tuned for more cultural info on dandelions if I can get some!
Sempervivum tectorum- Hens and chicks, Sempervivum
Gotta love these guys, cute and tough as nails, and they seem to be popular. Found a few of these in deck baskets outside a cafe.
Tilia cordata - Little leaf Linden
This tree is very popular on the city streets. They are *just* about to bloom, and Vlada tells me that they have a lovely fragrance and should be blooming by now, seems like they had a cold spring. Hope I get to witness these blooms soon. I've seen Tilia americana, our North American cousin but was too busy memorizing it's oblique leaf shape for my exam to remember the scent.
Poppies! (Papaver rhoeas) And my dress to match. Growing in a small raised bed by the stairs.
Aesculus hippocastanum- European Horse Chestnut
These trees were huge!
I recognized the palmately compound leaves and bottle-brush flower and hypothesized (to my great glee when I found out I got it right) that it was an Aesculus genus plant. Full size, mature trees I can't wrap my arms around were thriving in tiny planting pits, which was very impressive.
Sambucus nigra - Elderberry
This was growing abundantly around the city and along a stairway, and in full bloom too!
Elderberry is a well renowned medicinal plant, and one that has made its way into popular culture and products. This was one of the key plants found in Jarić's study on traditional Balkan medicinal plants which I refer to for my paper.
Bellis perennis- Common Daisy
These cute flowers grow just about everywhere in the grass. How lovely that they are so common!
Love your plant blog! So cool! My favorite, of course, are the poppies!