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271
The Folk-lore of Plants
·
T. F. Thiselton-Dyer
229
According
to
a
Tuscany
belief,
the
almond
will
discover
treasures;
and
the
golden
rod
has
long
had
the
reputation
in
England
of
pointing
to
hidden
springs
of
water,
as
well
as
to
treasures
of
gold
and
silver.
Similarly,
the
spring-wort
and
primrose--the
key-flower--revealed
the
hidden
recesses
in
mountains
where
treasures
were
concealed,
and
the
mystic
fern-seed,
termed
"wish-seed,"
was
supposed
in
the
Tyrol
to
make
known
hidden
gold;
and,
according
to
a
Lithuanian
form
of
this
superstition,
one
who
secures
treasures
by
this
means
will
be
pursued
by
adders,
the
guardians
of
the
gold.
Plants
of
this
kind
remind
us
of
the
magic
"sesame"
which,
at
the
command
of
Ali
Baba,
in
the
story
of
the
"Forty
Thieves,"
gave
him
immediate
admission
to
the
secret
treasure-cave.
Once
more,
among
further
plants
possessing
the
same
mystic
property
may
be
mentioned
the
sow-thistle,
which,
when
invoked,
discloses
hidden
treasures.
In
Sicily
a
branch
of
the
pomegranate
tree
is
considered
to
be
a
most
effectual
means
of
ascertaining
the
whereabouts
of
concealed
wealth.
Hence
it
has
been
invested
with
an
almost
reverential
awe,
and
has
been
generally
employed
when
search
has
been
made
for
some
valuable
lost
property.
In
Silesia,
Thuringia,
and
Bohemia
the
mandrake
is,
in
addition
to
its
many
mystic
properties,
connected
with
the
idea
of
hidden
treasures.
Numerous
plants
are
said
to
be
either
lucky
or
the
reverse,
and
hence
have
given
rise
to
all
kinds
of
odd
beliefs,
some
of
which
still
survive
in
our
midst,
having
come
down
from
a
remote
period.
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