Date of Meeting: 15th February 2025
Location of Meeting:
The Sherloft, My House, Portsmouth, UK
Attendees:
"The Entire Canon" (Paul Thomas Miller)
Apologies:
"The Entire Canon" (Paul Thomas Miller) thinks it is about time he got a public written apology.
Toast:
Paul Thomas Miller (The Entire Canon) gave the following toast:
There once was a John (not a James)
Who found himself drifting with no aims
He got married to Mary
But he should have been wary
When she started to call him wrong names.
Presentation:
Paul Thomas Miller (The Entire Canon) presented the following paper about Canonical plant life:
Botany - Variable
As a Miller myself, I was interested to see there is only one person called Miller (sort of) in The Canon – Flora Millar. What clearer sign could there be that I am destined to write a paper of the various flora mentioned in The Canon. I am not one to defy the Fates, so here is my effort:
The Adventures
A Scandal in Bohemia – White Bryony (Bryonia dioica)
“And Mademoiselle's address?” he asked.
“Is Briony Lodge, Serpentine Avenue, St. John's Wood.” (SCAN 1:271-272)
The briony which Briony Lodge is named after would be White Bryony (Bryonia dioica) – a climbing vine with pretty little greenish-white flowers. Like the King of Bohemia, it is toxic and can cause a nasty rash.
The Red-Headed League – Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
“…four lines of dingy two-storied brick houses looked out into a small railed-in enclosure, where a lawn of weedy grass and a few clumps of faded laurel-bushes made a hard fight against a smoke-laden and uncongenial atmosphere.” (REDH 1:324)
If some grass is weedy in England, without a doubt some of those weeds are going to be dandelions. I think they are lovely. But they are so hardy that they can grow pretty much anywhere. Although originally a Eurasian plant, they are now found in both Americas, the Indian subcontinent, Australasia and Africa where it is considered a “noxious weed”.
A Case of Identity – Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria Araucana)
“Her jacket was black, with black beads sewn upon it, and a fringe of little black jet ornaments.” (IDEN 1:215)
Jet was a popular gemstone in the Victorian era because it is black, and they were all miserable. It is produced by wood decomposing over millions of years. The most common wood which formed jet came from trees of the family Araucariaceae.
In Victorian Britain, most of the jet came from mines in Whitby where it was formed from Monkey Puzzle trees (Araucaria Araucana) from the Jurassic period. Its low density made Whitby jet easy to carve and comfortable to wear.
The Boscombe Valley Mystery – Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
“…we were well within the edge of the wood and under the shadow of a great beech, the largest tree in the neighbourhood. Holmes traced his way to the farther side of this and lay down once more upon his face with a little cry of satisfaction.” (BOSC 1:399-400)
The beech tree Holmes found Charles McCarthy’s murder weapon behind would have been a common beech (Fagus sylvatica). The story is set in summer, but evidently autumn had left a considerable leaf litter from this deciduous tree – he had to root about in the “leaves and dried sticks” for “long time” before he found the jagged stone. This is typical of the beech, which is known for its heavy leaf fall.
The Five Orange Pips – Sweet Orange (Citrus × sinensis)
“Opening it hurriedly, out there jumped five little dried orange pips, which pattered down upon his plate.” (FIVE 1:85)
The modern sweet orange, from which the five orange pips were taken, is a hybrid of pomelo and mandarin which was created in China, where it was first mentioned in literature in 314 BC. It is believed that Colombus introduced the fruit to the Americas in the 15th century. The seeds used by the crew of the Lone Star probably came from Florida, where farmers began planting orange groves in the 1870s.
The Man with the Twisted Lip – Cedar (Cedrus libani)
“The Cedars?”
“Yes; that is Mr. St. Clair's house.” (TWIS 1:131-132)
Cedar is not a native UK tree, but Lebanese cedar was introduced to England in the 1600s because it is rather majestic. It is large, evergreen and aromatic, which made it a popular addition to the grounds of parks and gardens. The St. Clair residence probably took its name from the trees which were on the grounds of the large villa. To accommodate these trees, the grounds must have been as impressive as the building.
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle – Hops (Humulus lupulus)
“Your beer should be excellent if it is as good as your geese,” said he. (BLUE 1:258)
The beer that Holmes and Watson enjoyed at The Alpha Inn probably was, as Holmes suggested, excellent. This is because it was British beer and, if there is one thing the British are good at, it is beer. American beer is awful. German beer is shameful. Australian beer is fizzy piss. But English beer is excellent. This is because it is made using Kentish hops. Hops (which are part of the hemp family) are used in brewing to create that wonderful bitter flavour. They also contribute to the lovely foamy texture of English ale. Because Kentish hops are the best in the world, it stands to reason that English beer is the best in the world too.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band – Spring Crocus (Crocus vernus)
“It is a little cold for the time of the year,” said Holmes.
“What has she been saying to you?” screamed the old man furiously.
“But I have heard that the crocuses promise well,” continued my companion imperturbably. (SPEC 1:249-251)
221 Baker Street did not have much of a garden (just a “solitary plane tree” in a “yard” (THOR 1:13)) and Holmes never showed much interest in horticulture as a hobby, so one wonders where Holmes got this information. Here is my suggestion:
Holmes and Watson did sometimes enjoy a stroll around Regents Park (see YELL 1:10) which had both spring crocus (Crocus vernus) and woodland crocus (Crocus tommasinianus) growing in the grounds. The story is set in April, and both these species of crocus usually bloom in February and March. It is worthy of comment then, that the “cold for the time of the year” climate had so delayed their flowering. Holmes must have recently overheard others speaking about this and was able to use the information to annoy Roylott.
As spring crocus flowers slightly later that woodland crocus it is the more likely to be the one that Holmes was speaking about.
The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb - Duchess de Brabant Rose (Rosa 'Duchesse de Brabant')
“I fell in a dead faint among the rose-bushes.” (ENGR 1:365)
We can’t know for sure which roses were growing under the windows of Dr. Becher’s Eyford home. Roses became something of an obsession for Victorian horticulturists, possibly because Queen Victoria herself was fond of them. The best I can do is nominate one of the most popular cultivars as slightly more probably than others. I’ve plumped for Duchess de Brabant Rose.
This rose – still available today – is a beautiful shade of light pink and has a delicate fragrance. It was first introduced in 1857 and is considered a classic Victorian rose. They were probably popular due to being tolerant of variable growing conditions and because they flowered from early spring all the way into autumn.
The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor – Honduran Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla)
“…to my very great astonishment, a quite epicurean little cold supper began to be laid out upon our humble lodging-house mahogany.” (NOBL 1:389)
The mahogany table at 221b could have been made of wood from any of three tree species: Honduran or big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), West Indian or Cuban mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), and Swietenia humilis. It is likely, though, that it was Honduran mahogany - the most used of the three. It grows is the Caribbean and Central America and began being used in English furniture in the 1730s. It had to be imported as it is difficult to grow in the British climate. This became easier as the British Empire grew and took control of places producing the luxurious dark wood. So began a period of importing slaves to decimate the Caribbean woodland. The table that the “epicurean little cold supper” was laid upon was a direct product of colonialism, slavery and destruction of nature. It is, perhaps, one of the most Victorian things in The Canon.
The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet – Ryegrass (Lolium)
“He learned to play heavily at cards and to squander money on the turf…” (BERY 1:116)
The turf here, which got Arthur Holder into such bother, is racetrack turf, which is usually made up of a mixture of ryegrass varieties. This is the typical type of tufted grass found in most English lawns. It is not the same thing as rye which is much more interesting because it can be used to make bourbon whiskey which can be used to make an old fashioned which can be used to make me happy.
The Adventure of the Copper Beeches – Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica purpurea)
“A clump of copper beeches immediately in front of the hall door has given its name to the place.” (COPP 1:267)
Copper beech is a mutation of the common beech which originated in Germany, where it was first recorded in 1690. Its leaves start off purple and get more coppery as summer comes to an end.
The tree does not occur naturally – it is assumed that 99% of copper beeches in the world are descendants of the one found in 1690.
Besides the different colour, there is no real difference between copper beech and common beech. Which feels like a set up for a comment on populist politics, but I can’t be bothered because, honestly, what’s the point – we’re all doomed anyway.
The Memoirs
Silver Blaze – Furze (Ulex europaeus)
“About a quarter of a mile from the stables John Straker's overcoat was flapping from a furze-bush.” (SILV 1:115)
Furze gets a few mentions in The Canon, so it had to be on this list somewhere. It’s mentioned in SILV and GREE, and also in HOUN, SOLI and WIST under its other name – gorse. It is a lovely shrub covered in spikey spines and yellow flowers that is brilliant for nature in Western Europe. It serves as a food source, hiding place and home for numerous bugs, birds and other creatures. Sadly, it is not so great in the ecosystems of all the other continents where it got introduced.
As well as being a useful place to hang your coat while you mutilate horses, furze can be used to make lectin which can act as a marker for human vascular cells… it says on Wikipedia.
Yellow Face – Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)
“The cottage had been standing empty this eight months, and it was a pity, for it was a pretty two storied place, with an old-fashioned porch and honeysuckle about it.” (YELL 1:153)
The creamy yellow flowers of the honeysuckle climbing up the walls must have looked quite nice as a frame to the yellow face Grant Munro saw in the cottage window. That is, if he hadn’t wet his knickers over it. It is a common enough plant in much of Europe and is great for attracting moths, bees, finches and warblers. The strong sweet aroma it produces in summer makes it a great addition to any garden.
The Stockbroker's Clerk – Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
This one of the most tenuous entries I have. There are no plants directly mentioned in STOC. So, I used this opportunity to force strawberries into the proceedings. Because I like strawberries.
I take, as my starting point, the fact that Hall Pycroft “…used to have a billet at Coxon & Woodhouse's, of Draper's Gardens…” (STOC 1:85). By the time Hall Pycroft was working in Drapers’ Gardens, there was very little of the eponymous garden left. Building in this area had started after the Great Fire and has continued ever since. But back in the 16th century, when The Drapers (originally a woollen cloth merchants guild) bought the land, these were extensive grounds - having previously been the gardens of Thomas Cromwell’s mansion. The Drapers had become a charitable institution and so they set to work installing a bowling alley, a maze, summerhouses and plants before opening it to the public. Among the plants we know that they originally planted are rose bushes, gooseberry bushes, gourds, herbs and, most importantly, strawberries.
Strawberries are a quintessentially English food. It is hard to think of them without thinking of Wimbledon. And this isn’t surprising, given that they have been found in England since the Ice Age. The idea of combining strawberries and cream is credited (probably incorrectly) to Cardinal Wolsey. It seems odd, then, that they are not directly mentioned in the very English biographies of Sherlock Holmes.
The strawberries planted at Drapers’ Gardens wouldn’t have been the ones we are familiar with today – the modern garden strawberries weren’t cultivated until the 18th Century. Back in the 1500s a European gardener would have three species to choose from: Fragaria vesca, Fragaria moschata, and Fragaria viridis. Of these, Fragaria vesca is the best suited to have been grown in England – indeed it still grows wild in embankments and hedgerows today. When the garden was originally set up this was the type of strawberry which was grown for commercial purposes in England. It remained our prime strawberry crop right up until the 1750 when people began hybridising European strawberries with North and South American species.
The “Gloria Scott” – Rhododendron 'Hotspur Red' (Rhododendron (Hotspur Group) 'Hotspur Red' (K))
“Next day we were picked up by the brig Hotspur, bound for Australia…” (GLOR 1:389)
Rhododendron 'Hotspur Red' is a hybrid azalea which has very little to do with this story other than sharing a name with a boat that gets a brief mention. It wasn’t even developed until 1934. But it is the best I could do for this one. Probably best not to dwell. Let’s hope MUSG has something better to offer…
The Musgrave Ritual – Elm (Ulmus procera)
“‘Where was the sun?’
“‘Over the oak.’
“‘Where was the shadow?’
“‘Under the elm.’” (MUSG 1:191-194)
There can’t be any other choice for this story than either the elm or oak. As oak features in REIG I shall choose the elm for MUSG.
The English elm (Ulmus procera) used to dominate our landscape, growing up to 30m tall and being very widespread. However, as they only live for about 100 years, one has to wonder how the one in the grounds of Hurlstone - full grown in 1649 - managed to remain standing at the same height up until the mid-1800s.
Today they have become a much rarer sight in England due to the accidental introduction of Dutch elm disease in the 1960s. It is called Dutch elm disease because it originated in Asia and came to the UK via Canada.
The Reigate Puzzle – Oak (Quercus robur)
“We passed the pretty cottage where the murdered man had lived, and walked up an oak-lined avenue to the fine old Queen Anne house, which bears the date of Malplaquet upon the lintel of the door” (REIG 1:189)
The avenue leading to the Cunningham house would have been lined with English oak - which has the scientific name Quercus robur. Interestingly “quercus robur” is an anagram of “rub rub coq ruse”.
You don’t get much more English than an oak tree. It is the English national tree; the tree Charles II hid up to escape the Roundheads and it was the tree that formed Robin Hood’s principal hideout. What could be more natural, then, than the avenue which led to this story being lined with oak trees? After all, REIG is a very English story: landed gentry grasp for more and more and don’t give two hoots about the people (like William Kirwan) who fall as sacrifice to their greed. England in a nutshell.
The Crooked Man – Linseed (Linum usitatissimum)
“He has left two nail-marks from his boot upon your linoleum just where the light strikes it.” (CROO 1:31)
Watson’s hall linoleum would almost entirely have been made of plants – it was linseed oil, pine resin and wood dust on a burlap backing, only a few mineral fillers ruin this floor covering’s botanical credentials.
Linseed, also known as flax, has beautiful little blue flowers and a multitude of uses, so it is no wonder that there is abundant evidence of it at Neolithic archaeology sites around Britain. As well as making linseed oil, the strong fibrous stems can be used to make paper and cloth, the seeds can be eaten, and the flowers can be used to create dyes.
The Resident Patient – Cuban Black Tobacco/Tabaco Negro Cubano (Nicotiana tabacum)
“Oh, this is an Havana, and these others are cigars of the peculiar sort which are imported by the Dutch from their East Indian colonies.” (RESI 1:310)
It would be wrong to discuss the plants in The Canon without a mention of tobacco - just about everyone in the Canon seems to enjoy cigarettes, cigars, pipes and/or snuff. Not least, Holmes and Watson themselves. The Havana in Blessington’s cigar-case gives us a unique opportunity to refer to a specific tobacco plant. This is because every leaf in a Havana cigar is Cuban Black Tobacco.
Cuban Black is a variety of cultivated tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and cultivated tobacco has its roots in the Americas from about 6000BC. However, it was when Europeans began to exploit the Americas in the 16th Century that worldwide demand massively increased. This was largely led by the Spanish, which explains why the once Spanish colony of Cuba is so strongly associated with quality cigars. That and the perfect growing conditions found on the island.
While there has been some experimentation with creating new varieties of tobacco from Cuban tobacco plants, Cuban Black Tobacco plants descended from the same ones Columbus discovered here are still being used today to make cigars just like the ones Blessington smoked. Wonderful. Cancery. But wonderful.
The Greek Interpreter – Myrtle (Myrtus communis)
“A drive of half a mile brought us to The Myrtles—a large, dark house standing back from the road in its own grounds.” (GREE 1:370)
The myrtle shrub (Myrtus communis) is believed to have been brought to England from Spain by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585. It is an evergreen shrub which produces delicate looking white flowers and edible berries. Ironically, the plant can be used to treat wounds, whereas the house named after it was principally used to wound people.
The Naval Treaty – Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora)
“He walked past the couch to the open window, and held up the drooping stalk of a moss-rose, looking down at the dainty blend of crimson and green.” (NAVA 1:330)
Much has been made of Holmes’s soliloquy regard the moss-rose at Briarbrae. Commentators have noted that it seems an unusually religious outburst:
“There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion… It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its colour are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.” (NAVA 1:332-338)
Was Holmes having some existential crisis and rethinking his entire theological perspective? No. He was spouting any old balderdash so that people didn’t notice him examining the window frame and flower bed for clues. Had he been thinking properly about what he was saying, he would raised the following objections to his own hypothesis:
1. Flowers are not an extra. They are, as Uncle Monty so rightly pointed out, “prostitutes for the bees”. The flowers’ smell and colour are necessary to attract pollinators.
2. Not everyone likes them. I don’t. The fragrance of roses, to me, is nauseating. To me, their fragrance is proof that Providence is an arsehole – either making my nose wrong or making roses smell bloody awful.
3. Not “all other things” are “really necessary for our existence in the first instance.” I could go my whole life without needing a hagfish or a colander. This is because I already have an eel and a sieve.
The Final Problem – Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina)
“A few yards from the end the soil was all ploughed up into a patch of mud, and the branches and ferns which fringed the chasm were torn and bedraggled.” (FINA 1:377)
Which ferns were present at the Reichenbach Falls 150 years ago is a matter of conjecture, but there would certainly have been some lady fern present. In fact, Sidney Paget seems to have agreed – he showed it being there in his illustration “The Death of Sherlock Holmes”.
Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina) is the fern you think of when you think of a fern. It is widespread – only absent from Austalasia and Antarctica – and has been for about 400 million years. The young fronds can be used for cooking, but not while you are plummeting 600 feet, bouncing off rock faces and screaming.
The Return
The Adventure of the Empty House – Moss (Bryophyta)
“But I struggled upwards, and at last I reached a ledge several feet deep and covered with soft green moss, where I could lie unseen in the most perfect comfort.” (EMPT 1:154)
Which of the 12,000 species of moss Holmes lay upon, is a tricky one to fathom. It may well have been one of the 380 types of bog moss (Sphagnum) which like wet conditions and are known to dominate this area. But, frankly, until I save up enough money to make my pilgrimage there and investigate for myself, I refuse to commit.
The Adventure of the Norwood Builder – Common Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)
“Nothing was to be seen save that some body or bundle had been dragged through a low privet hedge which is in a line with the wood-pile.” (NORW 1:267)
The privet in Oldacre’s yard was probably the native species - Ligustrum vulgare. Common privet had been used for hedging since the Elizabethan times, although Japanese Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium) would eventually replace it after its introduction to the UK in 1885. It is the main foodplant of the privet hawk-moth – the very same moth which is never mentioned once in The Canon.
The Adventure of the Dancing Men – Box (Buxus sempervirens)
“My own inclination is to put half-a-dozen of my farm lads in the shrubbery, and when this fellow comes again to give him such a hiding that he will leave us in peace for the future.” (DANC 1:208)
The shrubbery in question here is the one surrounding Cubitt’s garden. As such it is very likely to have been the Norfolk native shrub – box. It’s a hardy evergreen plant, which makes it ideal for hedging – it is pretty and easy to shape. Unlike other boxes in The Canon, it rarely contains ears.
The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist – Violet (Viola odorata)
At some point, I had to address violets. There are four women named Violet in The Canon, as well as mentions of violet ink, eyes, oceans, skies, pencils and even one hypothetical flower in VALL. I’ve picked SOLI’s Violet Hunter to allow us to include this plant.
The violet after which she is named is probably the English violet (Viola odorata) which grows wild in British woodland. The violet’s flower is violet. Which is why it is called a violet. Violet Hunter is not violet. Or a hunter. So, goodness only knows what her parents were thinking.
The Adventure of the Priory School – Ling (Calluna vulgaris)
“On the path, too, and among the heather were dark stains of clotted blood.” (PRIO 1:400)
Ling is easily the most common heather species in the Peak District, so it is probably ling which was stained with Heidegger’s blood. It is the main moorland heather across Europe. When it isn’t coated in tincture of Teutonic tutor, it can be used to make a yellow dye. In medieval times it was used to make heather beer. But then we got hops and started making good beer instead (See BLUE).
The Adventure of Black Peter – Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
“The fact that several rough-looking men called during that time and inquired for Captain Basil made me understand that Holmes was working somewhere under one of the numerous disguises and names with which he concealed his own formidable identity.” (BLAC 1:9)
The herb which gave Holmes’s Captain a name was Basil (Ocimum basilicum), a member of the mint family. It came to England in the 16th century from India. Like Captain Basil, the herb can be minced up, mixed with olive oil and served with pasta. However, unlike Captain Basil, doing this with the herb is not illegal.
The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton – Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides)
“The thick, warm air of the conservatory and the rich, choking fragrance of exotic plants took us by the throat.” (CHAS 1:259)
Can we know which exotic plants Milverton was growing? No. But I won’t let that stop me guessing.
Gerdenia (Gardenia jasminoides) had been introduced to the UK over a hundred years before Holmes and Watson broke into Appledore Towers. It is described as follows in Loudon's The Green-House Companion (1824):
“This plant… may yet be cultivated in gardens where there are hot-beds and a green-house. It is so highly odoriferous that it is very desirable to have in a collection, more especially as by judicious treatment it can be made to flower in December, January, and February.”
This fits very well with CHAS, which was set “on a cold, frosty winter's evening” (CHAS 1:5).
The Adventure of the Six Napoleons – Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
“You will remember, Watson, how the dreadful business of the Abernetty family was first brought to my notice by the depth which the parsley had sunk into the butter upon a hot day.” (SIXN 1:70)
If you put a bitter bit of butter with a better bit of butter the bitter bit of butter turns the better bit of butter bitter. And putting parsley on it won’t make a blessed bit of difference.
The Adventure of the Three Students – Pea (Pisum sativum)
“By Jove! my dear fellow, it is nearly nine, and the landlady babbled of green peas at seven-thirty.” (3STU 1:372)
Peas are known to have been farmed by humans since at least the neolithic times in the area around the Mediterranean Sea. However, it was the English who made them edible when Wiltshire man Thomas Edward Knight developed the sweet tasting pea in the 1700s. The best peas are the ones in a pea fritter you get from an English chip shop. It’s unlikely that this is what the landlady had in mind though. Chip shops had only been in England for 35 years at this point. Cambridge – where I believe this story is set - didn’t get its first one until 1917. The landlady was probably cooking them in the traditional English manner of vegetable preparation – boiling them for hours until they had lost all flavour, texture, colour and nourishment.
The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez – Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
“I next examined the corridor. It is lined with cocoanut matting and had taken no impression of any kind.” (GOLD 1:157-158)
Originating in Southeast Asia, coconuts had already made their way to England by the 13th century via India. The principal use of coconuts is to make Coconut ice – a confectionary that no one eats, but inexplicably still fills the shelves of seaside sweet shops. Other uses for parts of the coconut plant include making horse noises, coconut milk, doormats, compost, baskets and drums.
The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter – Anise (Pimpinella anisum)
“I walked into the doctor's yard this morning and shot my syringe full of aniseed over the hind wheel.” (MISS 1:456)
The pungent substance which Holmes spluffed over Armstrong’s wheel came from the anise plant (Pimpinella anisum). The Greeks use it to make Ouzo – which derives its name from the phase “Ooh, zo dizguzting”. The Americans use it in the production of Root Beer. Which is also horrible. The British make it into aniseed balls. And that is rank, too. Frankly, you have to wonder why humans persist in cultivating this stuff.
The Adventure of the Abbey Grange – Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo)
“Then it was my turn, and I went through him as if he had been a rotten pumpkin.” (ABBE 1:567)
The pumpkin originates in the Americas and was first introduced to Tudor England by the French in the 16th century. Pumpkins are ironically sold as “food” every October, but no one eats them because they are horrible – they just carve a face into them, leave them out for one night and then put them in the bin.
Some people will claim that they do eat pumpkins and that pumpkins are delicious. These people are liars or, worse, Americans.
The Adventure of the Second Stain – Ivy (Hedera helix)
“I ran to the back and got some water, but I could not bring her to. Then I went round the corner to the Ivy Plant for some brandy, and by the time I had brought it back the young woman had recovered and was off—ashamed of herself, I dare say, and dared not face me.” (SECO 1:468-469)
There are two native ivies in the UK: Hedera helix and Hedera Hibernica. However, we can be fairly sure that the one this pub is named after is Hedera helix (common ivy) as H. Hibernica is localised to west Britain.
In the past common ivy was used to treat coughs and sore eyes - probably ineffectually. It is well, then, that Constable MacPherson used his local Ivy Plant to produce ineffectual medicine for Lady Hilda.
Last Bow
The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge – Hazel (Corylus avellana)
“It is very pleasant to see the first green shoots upon the hedges and the catkins on the hazels once again.” (WIST 2:116)
It was Holmes who was so excited about the prospect of seeing catkins upon the hazels. Which shows that he knew a fair bit about plants – hazels bear catkins from February to April and this story is set in March. Holmes knew what the trees would be up to at this time of year.
Hazels are part of the birch family and are best known for being the source of hazelnuts. It says here that hazelnuts are used as a snack food, which just goes to show that people will eat anything.
The Adventure of the Cardboard Box – Kusum (Schleichera oleosa)
“A worked antimacassar lay upon her lap and a basket of coloured silks stood upon a stool beside her.” (CARD 1:102)
An antimacassar was a type of doily used to protect headrests from macassar oil – a men’s hair tonic popular in the 19th century. Macassar oil was made from various vegetable oils obtained from plants in the region of Makassar in the Dutch East Indies. The original recipe seems to have largely consisted of oil from the Kusum tree (Schleichera oleosa), although this did not last long due to the difficulty of obtaining it.
The Adventure of the Red Circle – Alder Buckthorn (Frangula alnus)
“When he picked himself up he found he was on Hampstead Heath…” (REDC 1:210)
Over 650 species of plants grow on Hampstead Heath. One of the most abundant is alder buckthorn, so there’s a good chance that Mr Warren got to see a few specimens of it on his way to catch a bus home.
It’s a pleasant enough shrub – little green flowers, ovate leaves, small black berries. Brimstone butterflies like it. And, as charcoal, it is a great gunpowder ingredient. I have no information reagrding whether brimstone butterflies like gunpowder. This is probably because it is difficult to make guns small enough for butterflies to use. And, even if you did, they would find it difficult to pull the trigger with a thumb-free tarsus.
The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans – Laraha (Citrus × aurantium subsp. Currassuviencis)
“Have you had something to eat? Then join me in a coffee and curacao.” (BRUC 1:597-598)
Curaçao is a liqueur flavoured with the dried peel of the bitter orange variety laraha, a citrus fruit grown on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Laraha evolved on its own from Seville orange trees that had been planted on Curaçao by the Spanish in the 1500s. The fruit is too stringy and bitter to be eaten so it is used to flavour booze instead. The liqueur was first developed around 1700. The blue colouring of Curaçao is not integral to the drink – it is just blue food colouring which is added as a sort of marketing gimmick.
The Adventure of the Dying Detective – Belladonna (Atropa belladonna)
“With vaseline upon one's forehead, belladonna in one's eyes, rouge over the cheek-bones, and crusts of beeswax round one's lips, a very satisfying effect can be produced. Malingering is a subject upon which I have sometimes thought of writing a monograph.” (DYIN 1:523-524)
Also known as deadly nightshade, belladonna is not a plant to be fannied about with. Both leaves and berries are highly toxic and are known to cause hallucinations, delirium and death, even in small doses. It is so toxic you should not even touch the plant with bare skin. It is no surprise, then, that Holmes happily pours a solution of it straight into his eyes. Not that this was an original idea of Holmes’. Since the 1400s women had been making belladonna eye drops to use for cosmetic purposes. Apparently, the ensuing dilated pupils were considered attractive – hence the name “belladonna”, meaning “beautiful lady”. Eventually, use of belladonna eye drops will lead to blindness. Humans are such clever animals, aren’t they?
The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax - Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
“We brought her round here, called in Dr. Horsom, of 13 Firbank Villas—mind you take the address, Mr. Holmes—and had her carefully tended, as Christian folk should.” (LADY 1: 459)
Another tenuous one, I’m afraid. But it is possible that Firbank Villas were named after a bank of firs which were in the area at some point. The most likely candidate is the Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) which was introduced to England from North America in 1827.
While named a fir, it is actually a pine. Something American not being what it claims is very much in keeping with the plot of LADY. After all, an American – Rev. Dr. Schlessinger – turns out to be lying about what he is – he’s actually an Australian called Holy Peters. If Sherlock Holmes teaches us anything it is that you can’t trust anything coming out of the colonies.
The Adventure of the Devil's Foot – Devil’s Foot Root (Radix pedis diaboli)
“It has not yet found its way either into the pharmacopoeia or into the literature of toxicology. The root is shaped like a foot, half human, half goatlike; hence the fanciful name given by a botanical missionary. It is used as an ordeal poison by the medicine-men in certain districts of West Africa and is kept as a secret among them. This particular specimen I obtained under very extraordinary circumstances in the Ubangi country.” (DEVI 1:506-509)
Even today, the scientific community seems to know little about the Devil’s Foot Root plant. I can’t seem to find it in any horticultural or medicinal textbooks. As such, I cannot add anymore information to that which Sterndale related to Holmes.
His Last Bow – Furmint (Vitis vinifera)
““Another glass, Watson!” said Mr. Sherlock Holmes as he extended the bottle of Imperial Tokay.” (LAST 1:306)
Furmint (or Mainak) is a grape variety that is most noted as being the principal grape in the better known Tokaji dessert wines. Tokaji (or Tokay) wines get their distinctive sweet flavour from a fungus called “noble rot” which grows on grapes left on the vine for too long. The grapes are grown in the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region, which reaches over the border of Hungary and Slovakia.
Wine is general is one of mankind’s oldest cures for existential angst – viniculture dates back at least to 6000 BC in Eastern Europe.
Case-Book
The Illustrious Client – Lavender (Lavandula)
“His lucent top-hat, his dark frock-coat, indeed, every detail, from the pearl pin in the black satin cravat to the lavender spats over the varnished shoes, spoke of the meticulous care in dress for which he was famous.” (ILLU 1:32)
Given the prevalence of lavender in English gardens, I was surprised to find that this is the only mention of lavender in The Canon. Even then I am taking liberties - the word is being used as a colour. Lord St. Simon did not have spats made from a shrub.
The plant was first introduced to England by the Romans, but it became popular in the 1300s when it was used to mask the unpleasant odours of medieval life. It is known to have been used as a perfume by Elizabeth I and to have featured heavily in the pathogen-preventing posies of 1665’s Great Plague. The favourable fragrance combined with its attractiveness to pollinators have made it a staple in English gardens.
However, all of this has nothing to do with Bobby St. Simon’s spats. Lavender was not used to make lavender dye. They were probably dyed with Tyrian purple, which is made from snail snot.
The Blanched Soldier - Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
“He passed on, but when I turned I observed that he was standing watching me, half-concealed by the laurels at the far end of the garden.” (BLAN 1:225)
Laurel is a plant long associated with triumph, as Holmes himself notes at the beginning of VALL, when he suggested celebrating his code-cracking ability by sending Billy out to buy a laurel wreath.
The plant was originally native to the areas around the Black and Caspian seas and was introduced to England by Clusius – a French botanist of the 16th Century. Nowadays it is regarded as an invasive species in the UK. There’s probably a joke about populist politics to made about that, but, again, I can’t be bothered.
The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone – Nettle (Urtica dioica)
“Grasp the nettle, Watson!” (MAZA 1:146)
This phrase is about the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). It refers to the idea that if you brush a nettle lightly it will sting you, but it you grasp it firmly it will not. The phrase is suggesting, then, that if something you must do seems dangerous or difficult it is better to go at it whole heartedly than pussyfoot around.
Of course, in reality, the best way to avoid being stung by a nettle is to steer well clear of nettles. A much better phrase would be “Run away from the nettle, Watson!”
The Adventure of the Three Gables – Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)
“Behind was a grove of melancholy, half-grown pines, and the whole aspect of the place was poor and depressing.” (3GAB 1:86)
The only pine native to the UK is the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). It thrives in heathland, so it is not surprising that the ones misplanted in a London suburb garden were “melancholy” and “half-grown”.
In Victorian times Scots pine only occurred naturally in Britain up in Scotland. However, it became a popular tree to be planted for timber throughout the UK. It is not surprising, then, to find a few in Mary Maberley’s grounds.
The timber from Scots pine is sometimes called “deal” and there is quite a lot of deal furniture mentioned in The Canon. Perhaps the most famous is “the acid-stained, deal-topped table” (EMPT 1:377) where Holmes carried out his chemistry experiments.
The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire – Crustose Lichen (Caloplaca flavescens)
“It was a large, straggling building, very old in the centre, very new at the wings with towering Tudor chimneys and a lichen-spotted, high-pitched roof of Horsham slabs.” (SUSS 1:256)
The lichen growing on the roof of Cheeseman’s could have been any of 1800 UK species. However, as it was growing on calcareous Horsham Stone, in direct sunlight and gave a spotty appearance, I am inclined to identify it as crustose lichen – that one that makes pretty little yellow splodges on the right type of stone.
Technically, lichen is more than one organism – it is a colony of algae, bacteria and fungus. So, it isn’t really a plant. But as far as this paper is concerned, if it looks like a plant, acts like a plant and tastes horrible like a plant, it is a plant. And these so called “scientific classifications” can do one.
The Adventure of the Three Garridebs – Soft Red Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
“He made his money in real estate, and afterwards in the wheat pit at Chicago…” (3GAR 1:90)
It was with wheat that the fictitious Alexander Hamilton Garrideb made his money in Chicago. The most common wheat grown in Illinois is soft red winter wheat. At least, that’s what Google AI reckons. And Google AI is famously infallible.
Soft red winter wheat is one of many breeds of common wheat – the cultivated species used for cereal production. However, as A. H. Garrideb failed to exist in the real world, his wheat was probably quite non-existent too. As such his crops would not have been very nutritious and any bread baked with its flour would probably have been quite wet and yeasty.
The Problem of Thor Bridge – Common Reed (Phragmites australis)
“Beside us there was a long, reedy pool, constricted in the centre where the main carriage drive passed over a stone bridge, but swelling into small lakes on either side.” (THOR 1:379)
The wetlands of England are often home to extensive golden-brown reedbeds made of common reed. They create an important habitat for many animals, including the bittern (which is, fortunately, no longer as rare as it was in Stapleton’s day (HOUN 7:189)).
The entire plant is edible, apparently. I wouldn’t know. I can afford steak and chips, so I tend to eat reeds. It is also the primary source of thatch for thatched roofs. No thatching is mentioned in The Canon, though. Other than the thatched brows of Dr. Leslie Armstrong (MISS 1:294). But I doubt they were made of reeds.
The Adventure of the Creeping Man – Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)
“Such a one on the back of a smart hansom swept us past a row of ancient colleges and, finally turning into a tree-lined drive, pulled up at the door of a charming house, girt round with lawns and covered with purple wisteria.” (CREE 1:274)
Wisteria is not native to the UK, so the purple species found on Professor Presbury’s walls must have been imported at some point. It would have been a relatively recent addition to the local flora, as it only came to Britain in 1816. This tall vine would have happily climbed the walls of the academic ape-man’s abode.
It is a toss-up whether the specific plant was Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) or Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis). Both produce masses of purple flowers. Japanese wisteria is less sensitive to cold – so may do better in a British garden. However Chinese wisteria blooms for longer, which would explain why it is still in flower in this September story.
The Adventure of the Lion's Mane – Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)
“For God's sake, oil, opium, morphia!” he cried. “Anything to ease this infernal agony!” (LION 1:403-404)
The opium which Ian Murdoch sought, but did not find, was a product of the opium poppy. It is created by drying juices extracted from the plant’s seed capsules. Unaware of the dangers of addiction, the Victorians used this middle eastern narcotic as a treatment for just about any ailment.
Opium gets twenty-two mentions in The Canon – most of them in TWIS, but I did Cedars for TWIS by mistake.
The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger – Almond (Prunus dulcis)
“Two days later, when I called upon my friend, he pointed with some pride to a small blue bottle upon his mantelpiece. I picked it up. There was a red poison label. A pleasant almondy odour rose when I opened it.” (VEIL 1:301-304)
The almond tree is a fruit tree closely related to plums, peaches and cherries. The plant is best known for the nuts it produces which have a distinctive odour and taste. This smell is produced by the presence of cyanide in the almond. Bitter almonds a high concentration of cyanide and eating fifty of them would be enough to kill most adult humans. However, the sort you usually eat or make marzipan with are sweet almonds which contain a much lower dose.
It is the benzaldehyde present in cyanide which give the nut its smell. The same benzaldehyde odour in Eugenia Ronder’s prussic acid gave away its poisonous nature to Watson.
(It should be noted that technically speaking almonds are drupes, not true nuts. But you’d have to be an incredibly annoying pedant to be bothered by this.)
The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place – Holly (Ilex aquifolium)
“Never mind me. I shall stand behind this holly-bush and see what I can see.” (SHOS 1:364-365)
Never-minding me and standing behind a holly-bush to see what you can see has always been a Great British past-time. The spiky leaved tree can live up to 300 years, after which it is cut down and mashed up to make Christmases.
If Shoscombe Old Place was actually Arborfield Hall, as I believe (see my book Finding Holmes, Belanger Books, 2023), the holly bushes Holmes stood behind are still there opposite the old park gates. I stood behind them myself. I didn’t see anything. There was a holly bush in the way.
The Adventure of the Retired Colourman – White Clover (Trifolium repens)
“On that particular evening old Amberley, wishing to give his wife a treat, had taken two upper circle seats at the Haymarket Theatre.” (RETI 1:107)
As you can see, by the time I got to RETI, it was almost impossible to locate an original plant somewhere in the story. Haymarket contains the word hay. Hay. I had to resort to hay. It’s not even made of a specific plant. It tends to principally be composed of ryegrass, but I covered that in BERY, so I’ll have to go for something else. Wikipedia reckons it sometimes has clover in it. That’ll do. White clover is a common British clover. If you have nothing better to do, you could use it as food or medicine, apparently.
The Long Stories
A Study in Scarlet – Pinyon Pine (Pinus edulis)
Lucy Ferrier grew up in Utah where “[t]he keen air of the mountains and the balsamic odour of the pine trees took the place of nurse and mother to the young girl.” (STUD 9:34). It may, at first be supposed that the pine trees mentioned here must be the Balsam Fir (abies balsamea) to account for their “balsamic odour”. However, Utah is simply too far West to fall within the natural range of this tree. Furthermore, fir trees and pine trees are not, strictly speaking, the same thing. So, what is the species of pine tree which Lucy grew up with?
There are five good candidates in Salt Lake Valley: bristlecone pine (pinus longaeva), lodgepole pine (pinus contorta), pinyon pine (pinus edulis) and ponderosa pine (pinus ponderosa). It is, of course, possible that Lucy grew up surrounded by a mixture of all of these. However, I believe the specific tree being referred to is the pinyon pine.
Pinyon pine is an aromatic species. Today essential oils are extracted from almost every part of the tree. Its sweet woody aroma acts as a decongestant, which certainly fits the bill as a nurse-like “balsamic odour”. Being extremely water efficient and heat tolerant, this is probably one of the few species of life that will survive the human driven mass extinction event currently planned for June 2031.
The Sign of the Four – Limau Lelang (Merope angulata)
“Is that an English thorn?” he asked.
“No, it certainly is not.” (SIGN 6:125-126)
Tonga’s blow pipe and its dart caused quite a to-do at Pondicherry Lodge – especially for the Sholto brothers. However, the species of plant which provides the thorns he uses is never named. But it is possible to make an educated guess on the subject.
I only managed to identify one Andaman Islands native plant with long thin thorns of the type that might be used in a blowpipe - merope angulata or limau lelang, to give it its Malaysian common name.
Confirmation of this species can be found in the descriptions of the habitat Tonga was in. Lelang likes to grow in mangrove areas and riverbanks. Given that Small describes “[t]wenty long years in that fever-ridden swamp, all day at work under the mangrove-tree…” (SIGN 12:41), it seems like this was exactly the sort of habitat Tonga had access to.
The Hound of the Baskervilles – Yew (Taxus baccata)
Holmes’s involvement in HOUN is all kicked off by Sir Charles Baskerville’s suspicious death in “the famous Yew Alley of Baskerville Hall” (HOUN 2:97). The prominent inclusion of the European yew in this gothic horror is rather apt, given all the folklore attached to this tree.
There are several contributing factors to the folkloric status of the yew. They are long lived - usually 400-600 years, but some British examples are between 2000 and 5000 years old. They are an ancient species – having inhabited the planet for at least 240 million years more than humans. They have long been a part of British culture – as demonstrated by the 400,000-year-old Clacton Spear found by archaeologists in 1911. The yew is almost entirely poisonous - 50g of needles will kill a human and it is known that this was used as a method of suicide in Roman times. It has a red sap which gives the impression that it oozes blood. Finally, it is said that on hot days the tree can give off hallucinogenic vapours (likely because of the toxicity of the plant).
These factors all add up to a general association of the yew with mysticism, longevity and rebirth. It is probably because of this that there are at least five-hundred churchyards in England that have yew trees that are older than the building itself. To my mind, it is well that the tree of death and rebirth features prominently in the Canonical story published between Holmes’s own death and rebirth.
The Valley of Fear – Tea (Camellia sinensis)
“He had spent the whole afternoon at the Manor House in consultation with his two colleagues, and returned about five with a ravenous appetite for a high tea which I had ordered for him.” (VALL 6:54)
The tea served at high tea would have been some variety of black tea which is made from highly oxidised leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sininsis). The UK has been one of the world's largest tea consumers ever since the 17th century, when it first began to be imported from China. The East India Company made supply much easier in the 1700s. By the Victorian era, the British Empire was so vast that getting goods to the UK from elsewhere in the world was no longer a difficult process. Combined with the move to cultivate huge amounts of tea in British India, tea soon became a drink for the English masses. I like mine black, no sugar if you’re making a brew.
Any Other Business:
"The Entire Canon" (Paul Thomas Miller) drank all the fizzy pop and burped the theme tune to the Ronald Howard series.
