Flower of the Year 2022: Herb Paris
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The Herb Paris was chosen as Flower of the year by the Loki Schmidt Foundation.
Underground propagation
Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia) is a perennial herbaceous plant that can grow up to 30 cm tall. As its name suggests, the plant produces only a single berry, which greatly limits reproduction by seed. It spreads mainly through underground shoots known as rhizomes, from which individual stems emerge. Because of this method of propagation, the plant needs a great deal of time to colonize new habitats.
Herb Paris flowers from May to June. Each stem bears four, and more rarely five, leaves arranged in a whorl, from which the flower emerges. The flower consists of yellow stamens bearing pollen and green petals. The dark ovary later develops into a dark blue or black berry.
Other name: true lover's knot
At home in wild forests
Herb Paris is still relatively common in Germany, but its populations are already declining in many areas, and it is now listed on the Red List of endangered species in six federal states. Herb Paris is found primarily in near-natural, wild forests, which are among the most species-rich habitats. However, wild forests without forestry use now account for only around 3 percent of Germany’s total forest area.
For this reason, the Loki Schmidt Foundation chose Herb Paris as Flower of the Year 2022 to draw attention to the need to protect the plant itself, as well as old, wild forests, so that they can continue to provide a habitat for Herb Paris, animals, insects, and other plants for many years to come.
Superstitions in the past...
Herb Paris was known in folk tradition, but because of its unusual appearance, people once regarded it as a plant of the devil and therefore avoided it. During times of plague, Herb Paris was sewn into clothing because people believed that this would protect them from infection.
...a homeopathic remedy today
All parts of the Herb Paris plant, especially its berry, are poisonous to both humans and animals. Consuming it can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. Today, Herb Paris is therefore used only in very low doses as a homeopathic remedy for the treatment of headaches and nerve pain.
The Loki Schmidt Foundation is the Hamburg Foundation for Nature Conservation and the Protection of Endangered Plants. Its aim is to promote the protection of nature and landscapes, as well as environmental education. The “Flower of the Year” campaign was launched in 1980 by Loki Schmidt (wife of former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who died in 2010). Through this campaign, she sought to draw attention to wild plants threatened with extinction.
