08. 01. 17 11:05
“Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we can scarcely mark their progress.”
―Charles Dickens
Isn’t it true that every season has it’s own beauty? Especially in plants with their huge variety of shapes and forms, seasonal impacts let them appear in so many different ways. It can either be a colourful fireworks like in the autumn leaves of Hamamelis below, or the red fruits of Solanum dulcamara on a frosty morning in December. Other plants like those of the Garden Angelica (Angelica archangelica) and the Eryngium bourgatii (both belongs to Apiaceae family) loose their color in autmn, but in this stage the beauty of their shapes seems to get underlined by nature.
![Hamamelis x intermedia](hamamelis-x-intermedia.jpg)
Image above: Hamamelis x intermedia (family Hamamelidaceae)
![Solanum dulcamara Bittersüß_](solanum-dulcamara-bittersu030800df_.jpg)
Image above: Solanum dulcamara, Woody Nightshade, Dog-wood, Bittersüß (Solanaceae family)
![Angelica archangelica Engelwurz_](angelica-archangelica-engelwurz_.jpg)
Image above: Angelica archangelica. Synonyms: Selinum archangelica, Angelica sativa, Angelica major, Angelica officinalis (Apiaceae family)
![Eryngium bourgatii](eryngium-bourgatii.jpg)
Image above: Eryngium bourgatii (Apiaceae)
15. 01. 16 12:27
Witch hazel is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, with three species in North America and one each in Japan and China. The one we are using in homeopathy is the North American „Hamamelis virginiana“. She flowers in autumn, while the Chinese and Japanese species are flowering during winter time, before their leaves are out.
The images below I took on the 28th of December in
Bonn’s botanical garden. Hamamelis is well known for it’s strong anti-oxidant and astringent impact. It is mainly used for cracked or blistered skin and as a treatment for varicose veins. This plant was widely used for medicinal purposes by American Indians.
![Hamamelis mollis](hamamelis-mollis.jpg)
Image 1: Hamamelis mollis (China)
![Hamamelis X intermedia-2](hamamelis-x-intermedia-2.jpg)
Image 2: Hamamelis x intermedia (a hybrid)
Tags:Witch-hazel