Leijpark013

@leijpark013 · 13 Jun 2021

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Leijpark013 June 2021 Red honeysuckle.

Leijpark013
Listing by Thierry P. Dinjens · 16 minutes ·
Who does not remember from his or her childhood that one half-naked superhero, stranded in the forests of Africa, is swinging between the trees, roaring out loud, to which a herd of elephants or a bunch of gorillas reacts: Tarzan. For a number of reasons this would not work in the Leijpark. First, a guy dressed in just a loincloth would immediately stand out in the park and probably be addressed directly by enforcement (if they show up in the Leijpark). Roaring disturbs public order, and neither should it be, and besides, we have neither elephants nor gorillas.. Fortunately, one beaver keeps the minds sufficiently busy.
What we do have, even if you don't think so at first glance, are lianas. Not those huge natural cables like in the jungle that a grown man can hang on, not. But lianas are woody climbing plants and there are species that also occur here and one of those species grows in the Leijpark: the Red honeysuckle. What strikes first are the white flowers. Why is the plant called 'red' honeysuckle?? Because the foot of the flower shows a little red. That's enough to give her this name.
Honeysuckle literally means “goat leaf”. This has a number of reasons: first of all, goats would love the leaf. Now goats eat just about everything they encounter, so honeysuckle is no exception. Secondly, with some imagination, the upwarding twigs of honeysuckle resemble the horns of a goat. Last but not least, the leaf would put a little bit in the bag, because the leaf looks like a goat's hoof or ear. Enough reason to connect the goat to this plant.
Honeysuckle is traditionally medicinal. You can make tea from it that is good for asthma, headaches and flu and even for inflammation in the genitals. Perhaps a nice tip for Tarzan, who knows what gets under such a loincloth when you swing from tropical tree to tropical tree..
Around honeysuckle hang like so often mystical stories. Thus, in the Middle Ages, the plant was nicknamed “witchers”. However, this has nothing to do with witches. It is a corruption of the German 'Rote Heckenkirsche' in which 'heck' is not a witch, but a hedge. So red hedgers. However, the red color was also associated with blood, and the also German Teufelsholz (devil's wood) indicates the Devil's habit of chastising saints with the wood of the Red honeysuckle.
The plant is notorious as poisonous to livestock. It causes vomiting and diarrhea and was therefore called 'Scheissbeer' (shitberry) in German regions. Also with us the leaves are still listed as a laxative. Why would you want to eat that, by the way? A petal is also very useful if you have a wound; the bruised leaf works cleansingly and disinfects the wound immediately. Still useful if you don't have your first aid briefcase with you.
In the Leijpark, the red honeysuckle winds up along other bushes and trees and where it doesn't find any branches of a host, twigs grow together and create ideal places for small songbirds to hide in. Songbirds, I'd rather hear that than some half-naked weirdo at a vine. Yet: if you are a big Tarzan fan, then you should not let me. The Leijpark offers something for everyone..