Botanical memory lane

Old knowledge, a valuable commodity, is now more accessible than ever. The hypertext version of this “modern” herbal -- first published in 1931 -- is a good example.

Every entry includes an exquisite illustration, the plant’s family, synonyms, habitat, description, medicinal actions and, if applicable, poisons and their antidotes. The longer pages -- for aloe, sage, rose and others -- delve into history (traditional, biblical and Shakespearean) and culinary, cosmetic or medicinal recipes (anyone for nettle beer?). The link to Cornell University’s Poisonous Plants Database is a must.

Two strong caveats are provided: Cultivation guidelines are geared to England and the Pacific Northwest and the book employed “conventional wisdom of the early 1900s,” making some of the information “inaccurate, or not in accordance with modern medicine” (hardly an understatement).

An equally archaic 1942 reference on poisons and antidotes is “Posted for historical informaton only!” (the typo is one of the website’s many). Many plant names are also out of date. Still, you can feast heartily on botany and historical trivia -- just take the curative advice with a grain of salt.

-- Lili Singer