Prestigious Plants - Ranunculaceae 08 - Hepatica

LIVERWORT (Hepatica)

Family: Ranunculaceae

Hepatica nobilis

Europe, Central

• Czech: Jeternyk

• German: Blaublume, Edelnoblut, Leberblume, Leberblumchen, Leberkraut, Leberkrekel

• Polish: Jadranowiec, Przylaszczka

Europe, Northern

• Danish: Blavise

• Finnish: Sinivuokko

• Norwegian: Blaaveis

Europe, Southern

• Basque: Sindilyo

• Italian: Epatica

• Latin: Trinitas

Europe, Western

• Dutch: Kattenoog, Vroege Akelei

• English: Liverwort, Anemone, Hepatica, Liverleaf, Navelwort

• French: Hepatique, Violette De Mars

• America, North: Canada (Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec), United States (Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin)

• Asia, Central: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia (West Siberia), Tajikistan

• Asia, East: China, Japan, Korea, Russia (Primorye)

• Asia, Northern: Russia

• Asia, South: Pakistan

• Europe, Central: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland

• Europe, Eastern: Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine

• Europe, Northern: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden

• Europe, Southern: France (Corsica), Greece, Italy, Spain

• Europe, Western: France

Liverwort is a genus of herbaceous perennials in the buttercup family. Some botanists regard it as a sort of anemone.

Victorian Flower Language
According to Greenaway, to the Victorians the flower meant "confidence."

We are not a medical website, do not take health advice from us.

Ancient use of this plant to treat liver disorders is owed to the "doctrine of signatures," as part of the plant resembles the texture or shape of liver. However, it appears to have legitimate uses.

Astringent
Liverwort has astringent properties.

Diuretic
Has diuretic properties.

Wound-Treatment
Can be used as a demulcent for slow-healing injuries.

Poisonous in large doses.

• Liverwort can also refer to non-vascular plants from the division Marchantiophyta. Explore creative conflation of the two, both visually and as a reagent. Would likely not work if the reagent was used for chemical reasons, but if the reasons are symbolic, such as a reference to the flower-language meaning of "confidence" or to the "liver" in "liverwort," they should be completely interchangeable.
• "Confidence" could refer to boldness, but it could also be used to refer to discretion, as in the case of a confidant.
• While "navelwort" is undoubtedly a reference to its medicinal uses, the function of "navel" can be expanded to include the "world navel," or axis mundi, the center of the world. Navelwort might be used in a magical sachet or phylactery to aid in navigation, setting a zero-point at the time of creation so that the bearer never loses his way home.

Common Liverwort (Hepatica nobilis)

Hepatica nobilis

Europe, Central

• Czech: Blaholavek, Blavinka

• German: Blaasimmer, Dreilappige Leberblume, Edel-Leberbluemchen, Edle Leberblume, Europaeisches Leberbluemchen, Leberblume, Leberblumchen, Leberkraut

• Polish: Jadranowiec Wlosienniczka, Przylaszczka Pospolita

Europe, Northern

• Finnish: Sinivuokko

• Norwegian: Blaaveis

• Swedish: Adderblomma

Europe, Southern

• Latin: Hepatica Triloba, Herba Hepaticae, Trinitatis Herba

Europe, Western

• Dutch: Blauw Leverbloempje, Blauwe Anemoon, Gewone Leverbloem, Plotkruid

• English: Common Liverwort, Bluewort, Common Hepatica, Kidneywort, Liverleaf, Liverwort, Noble Liverwort, Pennywort, Round-Lobed Hepatica, Trefoil

• French: Hepatique, Hepatique A Trois Lobes, Hepatique Noble, Hepatique Trilobee, Herbe De La Trinite

• Europe, Central: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland

• Europe, Eastern: Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Russia (Central European Russia, North European Russia, Northwest European Russia, West Siberia), Ukraine

• Europe, Northern: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden

• Europe, Southern: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy (Corsica), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Spain

Biome: Woodland and temperate regions.

We are not a medical website, do not take health advice from us.

Some modern herbalists use this plant to treat acne (astringent), bronchitis, and gout.

• Something likely can be done with the name "pennywort." This is of greater significance in societies where a penny is still meaningful currency.

Large Blue Liverwort (Hepatica transsylvanica)

Hepatica transsylvanica

Europe, Central

• German: Blaublume, Edelnoblut, Leberblume, Leberblumchen, Leberkraut, Leberkrekel, Siebenburgisches Leberblumchen

• Polish: Jadranowiec Transylwanski, Przylaszczka Transylwanska

Europe, Eastern

• Romanian: Hepatica De Transilvania

Europe, Northern

• Danish: Blavise

• Norwegian: Blaaveis

Europe, Southern

• Basque: Sindilyo

• Italian: Epatica

• Latin: Hepatica Transsilvanica, Trinitas

Europe, Western

• Dutch: Kattenoog, Vroege Akelei

• English: Large Blue Liverwort, Large Blue Hepatica, Romanian Hepatica, Transilvanian Hepatica, Transylvanian Liverleaf

• French: Hepatique De Transylvanie, Violette De Mars

• Europe, Eastern: Romania (Carpathians)

• Retained for names and distribution.
• Its association with Transylvania lends itself well to involvement with vampires, either as a benific or malefic.
• Perhaps a vampire can turn foreign soil to native by growing these flowers, as logistical preparation for moving away from its Carpathian home.

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LIVERWORT (Order: Marchantiophyta)

Non-vascular Liverwort.

Europe, Western

• English: Hepatica, Liverwort

Cosmopolitan

A division of non-vascular plants that shares its name with the ranunculate, genus Hepatica. Its small, fleshy leaves resemble the texture of liver.

Marchantiophyta share the same Victorian meaning of "confidence" with Hepatica.

We are not a medical website, do not take health advice from us.

Retain the archaic medicinal properties of genus Hepatica by virtue of the "doctrine of signatures."

• Retained for name and distribution.
• Most useful as a cheap substitute-by-conflation with the Ranunculates.
• Perhaps the meaning of "confidence" comes from the notion that various abdominal organs were responsible for the emotions (ex: spleen for anger). Liver would then translate to various forms of fortitude, including socially. That also suggests diets built around building up or suppressing such organ-emotion connections.

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Prestigious Plants

• Plants
• Flowers
• Trees
• Ferns
• Moss and Lichen [Pending]
• Fungi [Pending]
• Cladistic Index
• Herbal Medicine [Pending]
• Resin, Incense, Balsam, and Lacquer [Pending]

Other Ranunculales

• Berberidaceae
• Barberry
• Lardizabalaceae
• Dead Man's Fingers
• Papaveraceae
• Bleeding Heart
• Celandine
• Fumitory
• Poppy
• Ranunculaceae
• Adonis/Anemone/Pasque
• Buttercup/Water Crowfoot
• Clematis
• Columbine
• Coptis
• Hellebore
• Larkspur
• Love in a Mist
• Monkshood/Wolfsbane

[Img 01 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hepatica_nobilis_plant.JPG]

[Img 02 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HepaticaNobilisMacro.jpg]

[Img 03 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hepatica_transsylvanica.jpg]

[Img 04 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lunularia_cruciata.jpg]

-Greenaway, Kate. Language of Flowers. George Routleage and Sons.

( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatica )
( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone_hepatica )
( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatica_transsilvanica )
( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchantiophyta )