Opinions upon Orpine

On a dull, murky day without a single sunbeam, I was attracted by the only spot of colour left in the garden: this orpine, Sedum telephium, still blooming late in the year.

A curious plant, its thick smooth fleshy leaves and roots hold enough sap to keep it fresh and green when plucked from the ground, as its other name, Live-long, denotes. Back in more superstitious times, it would be hung up indoors as an indicator of household health, its withering taken as a sign of an impending death in the family. Equally, two plants stuck up together on midsummer eve foretold the trajectory of a romance. As long as the leaves flourished so would the love affair.

The plant's medicinal properties are supposed to have discovered by Hercules' son Telephus who used it to treat a battle wound that would not heal. Subsequently it was recommended by herbalists as a remedy for dysentery and internal ailments, burns and inflammations. Orpine was one of the main herbs used by the Physicians of Myddfai, a dynasty of Welsh medics descended from a legendary Lady of the Lake who, in 12th century Carmarthenshire, was taken by a local farmer for his bride, on the condition he never raised his hand to her even in jest. Of course he failed to obey the injunction and she disappeared back under the waters of Llyn y Fan Fach, leaving three sons to whom she entrusted her herbal recipes. For five generations their descendants were held in high esteem as doctors, and some of them qualified as such. Their secrets were recorded in The Red Book of Hergest which still exists today.

Of course, now that Prince Charles lives in Myddfai, orpine is no doubt being cultivated right there by his team of gardeners, even if it's not available on the NHS.