The Herbarium of Rhodes

The Herbarium of Rhodes A botano-mythical journey from Rhodes island. Pressed flowers & herbs by Mariann Lipcsei.
(1)

//EN//
I am a Hungarian woman living on the Greek island of Rhodes, where I have been researching the characteristics of the local landscape and culture since 2015. This journey and work gives me the fuel for writing (on my own blog and at other venues - see my LinkTree), and to create artworks of locally foraged and pressed plants, which is not simply a self-expression form of mine, but a great

botano-mythical journey by researching the mythical and healing aspects of the plants of Rhodes island. And also, it is my little nature worship in the great temple of the "Mother of all things"[1], a spiritual practice around the year, reconnecting to myself through admiring and observing the living-breathing-singing cosmos.

[1] "Nor even the woods and the wilder face of Nature are without medicines, for there is no place where that holy Mother of all things did not distribute remedies for the healing of mankind, so that even the very desert was made a drug store."
- Pliny, the elder: Naturalis historia Book XXIV./1. (translated by Rackham, Jones, & Eichholz)


//HU//
Jelenleg Rodosz szigetén élek, ahol 2015 óta próbálom megfejteni a Mediterránum ezen szegletének (engem mágnesként fogva tartó) géniuszát a helyi természetben, kultúrában, egyéni történetekben - és mindezeken keresztül keresem saját helyemet a nagy kozmikus térképen. Ez a kimeríthetetlen felfedező munka lett írásaim epicentruma (a LinkTree-re kattintva ezeket az írásokat megtalálod). A Rodoszi Herbárium pedig a görög szigetek természeti gazdagságának és éteri szépségének egyszerre megidézési- és megismerési kísérlete. A helyi növények gyűjtésével, préselésével és képekké alakításával nem csak a világ eredendő szépségben gyönyörködöm, hanem segít kapcsolódnom
a fény útjához,
a teremtett természet harmóniájához és ritmusához,
mitikus történetek bölcsességeihez,
emberi tudattalanom alvó ősképeihez,
kozmikus analógiákhoz,
vagyis: magamban a mindenséghez.

Real pressed flower artwork with passepartout in a frame (28*36 cm) with glass cover.The flowers are Papaver rhoeas coll...
04/12/2022

Real pressed flower artwork with passepartout in a frame (28*36 cm) with glass cover.

The flowers are Papaver rhoeas collected in April 2022 by Ialysos area, Rhodes island (Greece).

The artwork suppose to be a reminder of organic patterns of the living, breathing cosmos which is called 'LI' [1] in taoism. It can remind us to keep our eyes on reality, natural proportions, simplicity just as Rilke wrote:

“If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable.”

- Rainer Maria Rilke: Letters to a Young Poet (translated by Reginald Snell)

Or just as a famous Rhodian, Cleobulus of Lindos (one of the seven sages of antiquity) said some 2500 years ago:

“Pan metron ariston.”

Meaning: “Everything in moderation.”

This artwork can also remind us to these inherent wisdoms with their imperfecion, organic shapes designed by the Universe talking to our subconsciousness to wake up the sacred proportions of our psyche.

[1] "Li [pronounced "lee"] is a traditional Chinese word that refers to the organizing principles of the cosmos, the dynamic patterns that connect the qi in different forms to construct the entire universe. (...) The li can be thought of as the ever-moving, ever-present set of patterns which flow through everything in nature and in all our perceptions of the world including our own consciousness. Alan Watts describes the li as “the asymmetrical, nonrepetitive, and unregimented order which we find in the patterns of moving water, the forms of trees and clouds, of frost crystals on the window, or the scattering of pebbles on beach sand.”

- source: http://www.liology.org/li.html

I am madly in love with the flowers of 'Cichorium intybus' or ‘seris’ as ancient Greeks called chicory plants.It is also...
29/11/2022

I am madly in love with the flowers of 'Cichorium intybus' or ‘seris’ as ancient Greeks called chicory plants.

It is also called ‘The Lover of the Sun’ as its flowers are always facing towards the sun and it opens its petals only when the sun shines strongly enough from sunrise till midday. So you can see its flowers only in the morning on a sunny day. For this reason Carl von Linné used this plant in his floral clock.

The whole plant is edible and its roots and leaves are used as food and/or herbal remedy since ancient times.

Dioscorides (1st century AD) recommends it in his ‘De Materia Medica’ especially for disturbed, burning stomach, gout, inflammation of the eyes and he mentions its bitter taste. The common Greek name of the plant, pikroradiko also refers to this bitterness which can be reduced by adding lemon and olive oil to the boiled leaves.

The literature about its benefits on human health is endless.

And I think it completely steels the show with its bright blue flowers on the Rhodian meadows every morning on a sunny day.

❗️Always ask a competent person before the medicinal or culinary use of wild plants, and make sure you forage the right plant and ethically once gathering them yourself. 😉

I couldn' imagine a lovelier location to exhibit my pressed flower artworks than the Rhodescape Adventure Park by the da...
28/11/2022

I couldn' imagine a lovelier location to exhibit my pressed flower artworks than the Rhodescape Adventure Park by the dam of Apolakkia, South Rhodes. Being a Natura 2000 protected area, the landscape is breathtaking with the turquoise lake and the hills surrounding it. The buildings and outdoor furnitures of the adventure park are adapting to this landscape, respecting its charm by using wooden materials and imperfect design made by human hands completely merging into the natural environment (not wanting to overdominate the scene with some "super trendy" design).

So I can say that my flowers were very happy there and me even more for the warm and loving reactions about my little herbarium.

It was especially nice to see children being interested in these works, the plants, the method of flower pressing and foraging in a world governed by smart devices and algorithms. If we show them the living, breathing reality, there is a greater chance that they can stay in reality. Also, they might rediscover bonds with their beautiful island, therefore they will be interested in protecting it as adults too.

It was a lovely Saturday with wonderful people. I am really thankful for the invitation! ☺️🌸🌱

Join us tomorrow! 🌱🌸 I will exhibit some Rhodian flower artworks at Rhodescape by the lake of Apolakkia, South Rhodes. ...
25/11/2022

Join us tomorrow! 🌱🌸 I will exhibit some Rhodian flower artworks at Rhodescape by the lake of Apolakkia, South Rhodes.

We have a special evergreen tree on Rhodes island blooming now (usually in November and December). It is the Loquat tree...
21/11/2022

We have a special evergreen tree on Rhodes island blooming now (usually in November and December). It is the Loquat tree, in Greek they call it ‘musmulia’ and its botanical name is ‘Eriobotrya japonica’. It originates from China and the different parts of the tree have been used as traditional herbal medicine in China, Japan and Korea for at least 2000 years. It came to Europe probably in the 16th century.

On Rhodes island people have ‘mousmoulia’ trees mostly in front of their house (in the 'avli', the small yard of the traditional houses, where family gathers to eat, drink together during the hot months). I think they choose ‘mousmoulia’ in their garden because of its big size leaves, to provide a nice shade for these outdoor gatherings during the heat of Greek summer, and to protect the ‘avli’ from the wind too.

Rhodians (as far as I know) use only the fruit of this tree (early spring) eaten alone fresh. I was reading that “Cretans also serve them along with graviera cheese and ice-cold tsikoudia, the local grape-based spirit.” (History of Greek Food blog by Mariana Kavroulaki)

It’s flowering season of the tree now and I have fallen in love with it completely. The scent of the small white-yellowish flowers is ethereal, almost exactly the same as the fragrant hyacinth flowers and so they are used in perfumes. Not only! Dried flowers and leaves of Loquat can be used as herbal tea as we can read in the materia medicas on Chinese herbs.

The flowers have expectorant effect. And the leaves have a lot more:

🌱 immune boost
🌱 treat respiratory problems
🌱 relieve vomiting
🌱 used for coughs, inflammation, diabetes
🌱 heal skin irritations
🌱 analgesic, antiviral, antibacterial
🌱 soothes melancholy, strengthens the stomach, etc.

The Loquat leaf tea, the Biwa Cha is a traditional Japanese herbal infusion. You can see my version of Biwa Cha made of Rhodian Loquat leaves.

1. I collected 2 big leaves.
2. I scratched the furry backside of them (you should remove those furs).
3. I washed and dried them with a cloth.
4. I chopped them into pieces.
5. I added them to boiling water to simmer for 5-7 minutes.
6. I waited another 10 minutes before filtering.

November in the mountains, where Pan and his female companions, the nymphs have their dwellings. Black myrtle berries an...
20/11/2022

November in the mountains, where Pan and his female companions, the nymphs have their dwellings. Black myrtle berries and reeds (the musical instrument of Pan). Caves, springs, water streams, peaks, clouds, forest. At least 5000 shades of green. It is called Salakos.

Long size bookmarks from the Rhodian meadows for all the romantic souls out there who are still reading real books! 🤗🌸🤍W...
20/11/2022

Long size bookmarks from the Rhodian meadows for all the romantic souls out there who are still reading real books! 🤗🌸🤍

With tiny objects in our daily life we can evoke the timeless, unshakable beauty of the cosmos [1].

These bookmarks are little reminders of the most important gifts of the Greek islands:

🌸 imperfection
🌱simplicity
☀️and the creative, lifegiving power of light - the etheric sunshine that covers the Greek landscape as golden powder - especially on Rhodes, which is the sunniest Greek island.

All plants are collected by me on the meadows of Rhodes with much love and admiration towards each of them.

All plants were pressed by me with loving patience for 4 weeks time, and with a wonderful handmade press made by Apostolos Pezouvanis. 🙏🏼

Each craft is fully handmade and unrepeatable, preserving flowers that are One, and Only - just like each of us.
They are imperfect - just like each of us. And yet nourished by Mother Nature with her unconditional love. 🤍

Dimensions: 5*18 cm

[1] "Using the word cosmos implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity.

The philosopher Pythagoras first used the term kosmos (Ancient Greek: κόσμος, Latinized kósmos) for the order of the universe." /wikipedia/

Handmade real pressed flower artwork from Rhodes island made of Papaver rhoeas (Field poppy, or Corn poppy)Artwork dimen...
15/11/2022

Handmade real pressed flower artwork from Rhodes island made of Papaver rhoeas (Field poppy, or Corn poppy)

Artwork dimensions: 21*30 cm (A4)

The flowers were collected by me in April 2022 on Rhodes island with love and respect towards this incredible precious landscape.
The plants were pressed by me with loving patience for 4 weeks time, and with a handmade press.

This artwork is handmade, unrepeatable, preserving plants that are One, and Only - just like each of us.

If interested, send a dm, or an e-mail:
[email protected]

Photographed by the Castle of Kritinia, West coast Rhodes island.

And what do a tree and a forest mean to you?
14/11/2022

And what do a tree and a forest mean to you?

Beautiful chamomiles (Anthemis maritima or tomentosa - I still have to fact check) are enjoying the sunny November days ...
14/11/2022

Beautiful chamomiles (Anthemis maritima or tomentosa - I still have to fact check) are enjoying the sunny November days by the beach.

Walnut is in every grocery now on Rhodes, and here everybody knows that the best walnut trees of the island are growing ...
08/11/2022

Walnut is in every grocery now on Rhodes, and here everybody knows that the best walnut trees of the island are growing in the tiny mountain village, Salakos.

Just as Nisyros island has its wonderful traditional beverage made of almond (it is called ‘soumada’), also Salakos village has its characteristic homemade liquer made of walnut namely: ‘liker karidaki’. 🍷

Although for this recipe you have to collect young, unripe wallnut fruits in May/June that have not formed their hard shells yet. For one bottle you need about 10 walnuts, 2 cinnamon sticks, one spoon of cloves and half kilo sugar, finally half liter ‘souma’ (the spirit of the Dodecanese made from grape marc and wine). Place everything in a glass bottle and leave it on the sun for 20 days. Don’t forget to shake the bottle each day! 😉 At the end you’ll get a dark brown, bitter liquer which you can use as aperitif or as digestive aid.

And the very special spoon sweet (glika tou koutaliou) of Salakos is also made from the fresh unripe small walnuts! I am amazed by the fact that Greek housewifes are truly using the gifts of their garden and countryside throughout the year and transforming them into delicious food which serve as a bond between people.

Spoon sweets are at every Greek household made by women using various fruits. It is like a marmalade, but with less liquid, the point is the fruit. They serve it on tiny glass plates whenever they have visitors in their house. And because it is so sweet, they serve only a spoonful of it and they always serve it with a glass of water.

Every village, area and season has its specific spoon sweet. The one with the walnut is typical in Salakos village and it has also cloves and cinnamon in the recipe plus lemon juice.

And the walnut itself is exceptionally beneficial for our health being full of omega 3, vitamine E, dietary fibers, and it has the highest polyphenol content among other nuts. This means that walnut can be a good ally of someone with cardiovascular problems, diabetes, inflammation, plus it has neuroprotective and antiaging effects.

Ps.: make sure you wear gloves when peeling walnut! Otherwise you’ll have black hands for a month! 😄🙈

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Ialysós

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