Photos from open sources of
An old legend says that for the first time people noticed this plant after the strong coast passed over the eastern coast of Libya rains.
In those days, there was the ancient Greek Cyrene – one of the greatest cities of antiquity. The grass began to grow rapidly, her strong root system fought hard for life space conquering the county. And soon all the forest glades and the nearby slopes were adorned with lush stems of sylph.
Over time, the amazing properties of this plants. Its exquisite taste and beneficial properties have made sylphium very welcome and valuable. Of course, it was widely used for medical goals. Pliny, for example, wrote that this herb helps in treating dog bite wounds and relieve symptoms in diseases of the rectum. Sylph was also consumed for coughing, sore throat, fever, digestive disorders and even from warts. And he also served as an antidote to bites of scorpions and snakes.
Sylph had a wonderful smell. His delicate inflorescences served for making perfumes, and dried milk juice was used as seasoning for all kinds of dishes. People brought the plant to their bedrooms because sylphy was a powerful aphrodisiac and at the same time was considered a contraceptive. By the way, modern scientists also believe that previously with the help of this mysterious grass birth control was controlled.
Sylphia seeds are shaped like a heart. They may have become the prototype of those romantic hearts that send each other current lovers …
A photo from open sources
Ancient Romans praised sylphs in songs and poems, mentions about this plant are contained in the great creations of ancient literature.
Sylph is a symbol of Cyrene
And in their “homeland” the grass became a symbol of the Greek colony Cyrene, as well as local currency. For centuries, authorities have not allowed to export plant seeds outside the city limits, keeping thus a monopoly. Aliens had to pay for grass big money, thanks to which Cyrene began to flourish. Were selling Sylph is literally worth its weight in gold and silver. Him paid tribute to the Romans. According to historians, Julius Caesar had 680 kilograms of sylphium in his vaults, equated to the official treasury.
Interestingly, the precious plant disappeared just as unexpectedly, as it appeared, and not only from the territory of Africa, but generally with faces of the earth. So, Pliny the Elder wrote that he had heard in his life just about the one and only sylphium stalk that was ripped off approximately in 54-68 years of a new era and sent for acquaintance To Nero. However, the greedy Roman emperor immediately ate a unique the offering is perhaps the last instance of the species.
A photo from open sources
The reasons why a valuable plant has died out have not been established. Maybe the grass was collected too hard, or maybe they had place some other mystical reasons. It’s only obvious that people never managed to “tame” wild sylph. By the way, all attempts cultivate the plant outside of Cyrene unsuccessful …
Modern scientists consider sylphy to distant relatives to everyone famous carrots. He belonged to the plants of the umbrella family, like fennel. Today these herbs grow in countries Mediterranean and North Africa as weeds. Two of them are giant fennel and tangier fennel – you can still see today in Libya. Unfortunately, they do not have a share of those the fantastic properties of sylphium, which only mean have come to us information and beautiful legends …
Africa Plants
