THE HONORABLE HONESTY: Gardeners might find that, with its virtuous name and unique form, displaying Honesty really is the best policy

摘要

What's in a name? The voyage of a lifetime, if the ship holding 102 pilgrims is about to set sail and the passengers call you "honesty." Legend holds that honesty (Lunaria annua or L. biennis), was the only seed the pilgrims carried with them to the New World. Still another legend gives the Puritans credit for introducing it to New England ten years later. Why either of the two groups would bring this herb—considered useless, at the time, other than as an ornamental—on board already crowded ships is a puzzling question. Was its inclusion based simply on the virtuous sound of its name? Or was it carried over as a symbol of the pilgrims' intent to firmly root themselves in the new land? (Once a few seeds are scattered in the dirt, honesty makes sure to stay put in the garden.) Whatever the true reason, the plant has indeed made a home for itself here, and is proving to be an increasingly popular and highly underestimated herb.