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“ plant are foxy . Many are eatable , but one false mouthful and you ’re dead . ” — The Hunger Games , by Suzanne Collins
Whether or not you ’ve seen the film or read the book , you in all likelihood make love thatThe Hunger Gamesis a dystopian story of competition and survival in a post - apocalyptic earth . Much of the narrative takes stead in the wilderness , a setting that get with its own cast of characters : plants . The Holy Writ ( not so much the film ) is a howling aggregation of ethnobotanical references . flower that heal , trees that feed , and Chuck Berry that kill — plants are the friend and the opposition .
Without further ado , a lean of several substantial industrial plant inThe Hunger Games . To readers who are n’t conversant with the story , two warnings : first , [ SPOILER ALERT ] the list turn back some despoiler . Second , mind the mortal nightlock berry !
Katniss plant . Photo by : Wikimedia Commons .
KatnissKatniss Everdeen , the news report ’s heroine and adept forager is name for a flora . Hardy , valuable , and sometimes sweet , the katniss works is also an adaptable subsister , just like the lineament . Also jazz as duck potato and swan potato , the plant is sometimes called " arrowhead , " derived from the Romance name for its genus : Sagittaria , which come to to the archer in the zodiac — a skipper with the bow and arrow , just like the young champion .
In the wilderness , the katniss works is discover in wetlands . Its leave are comestible , though it ’s most valued for its roots : with child , alimental tubers whose taste is comparable to a sweet potato . Katniss was once a staple food of Native Americans , especially in the Northwest ( where they dug up the industrial plant with their toe ) . Of the 30 katniss species , Sagittaria latifoliais most prevalent in North America .
eve primula ( Oenothera lamarckiana ) . photograph by : aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu .
PrimrosePrimrose Everdeen , Katniss ’s gentle sister , is most likely identify for the evening primrose , Oenothera spp , a plant that Collins discover as beautiful and delicate . Like the character , primrose bloom are not all that hardy — they’re not at the Games either . The even primrose is a medicative plant , called " king’s - remedy - all , and a damp agent , both of which reflect Primrose ’s fictitious character in the fib . The blossom will thrive in forsaken land , just like the immature girl — except in regions west of the Rockies , which is where the storey ’s " Capitol " is likely place — and also where the character herself die .
ruefulness plant ( left ) ; herb of grace listing inTacuinum Sanitatis , a mediaeval handbook on health ( right ) . exposure by : Wikimedia Commons .
RueThe rue works ( Ruta ) is an evergreen " herbaceous plant - of - grace " that carries many metaphor . It ’s been called the plant of honor and it is featured in many ethnical and spiritual ceremonies . In lit , it has been used as a symbolization of both regret and freedom . And so it is an apt name for the untested little girl who befriends Katniss during the game , whose dying serve as a turning point in the story . When Rue is killed , Katniss ’s rue becomes a sense of freedom , prompting her to launch the critical uprising .
Nuphar luteum(left);Nymphaea mexicana , native to the southerly United States ( flop ) . picture by : Wikimedia Commons .
Pond Lilies"Tomorrow I ’ll stay here , breathe , camouflage my backpack with mud , catch some of those short Pisces the Fishes I saw as I sipped , cut into up the roots of the pool lilies to make a prissy repast . "
Katniss ’s survival architectural plan sound very pleasant — a picnic by the lily pond . Collins does not refer the species , so the lily ofThe thirstiness Gamescould be any metal money of the most common three genus — Nuphar , Nymphaea , andNelumbo , all of which have edible rhizomes . pool lily roots are enormous , spongy , and sell in many street securities industry ( recall of the lotus root , which the Chinese call a " cooling " food , thought to restore balance in the body ) .
eatable pine tree bark . exposure by : woodcraftwanderings.org .
Pine Trees“I lento chew the poppycock as I take the air along … it ’s a little tough to choke down . ”
With little else to eat , Katniss plough to a pine tree diagram . Its soft inside barque can be a sound repast and its needles are a good source of Vitamin C. Native Americans often masticate on pine tree diagram barque during the winter calendar month to conserve food reserves .
From Franz Eugen Köhler , Köhler ’s Medizinal - Pflanzen , 1897 ( leave ) ; dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale ) ( properly ) . Photo by : Wikimedia Commons .
Dandelions"I had just turn away from Peeta Mellark ’s bruised nerve when I get wind the dandelion and I bonk promise was n’t lost . I plucked it cautiously and hurried home . I grabbed a bucketful and Prim ’s hand and headed to the Meadow and yes , it was dot with the golden - headed weeds . After we ’d harvested those , we scrounged along inside the fencing for plausibly a Swedish mile until we filled the bucket with the blowball greens , stems and flowers . "
In the story , the blowball becomes a symbolisation of hope for Katniss , and evidence of her resourcefulness and expert forage . When she sees the field of operations of dandelions , she gains trust in her ability to fee her family . Dandelions are entirely edible — to a forager , a blowball field stand for something entirely different than what it means to the nurseryman . blowball leaf have more beta carotene than carrot and more smoothing iron than spinach . The root can be applied as an herbal remedy for a number of ailments and the milklike sap can soothe bee confidence game and bleb .
European Honeysuckle ( Lonicera periclymenum ) . pic by : Wikimedia Commons .
HoneysuckleWhen Katniss come forth from the tracker jacker ( orchestrate wasp ) hallucinations , she hit for a honeysuckle to comfort her spirits and edulcorate her lingua . The comestible ambrosia can be eat right away from the bloom — get rid of the stamen from the bottom of the flower , and suck the nectar droplet .
baneful nightshade ( Atropa deadly nightshade ) . picture by : Wikimedia Commons .
NightlockNightlock , the poison of the forest , does n’t actually exist , but its name is most likely derived from two know plants with standardized perniciousness : pernicious nightshade ( Atropa belladonna ) , and poison California fern ( Conium maculatum ) . Ancient Romans used the nighshade ’s berries and leaves as a poison , and hemlock was famously used in the decease of Socrates . InThe Hunger Games , Katniss accurately identifies some Chuck Berry that Peeta collects to be deadly . A competition who does n’t share Katniss ’s works designation acumen later eats the nightlock ’s berries , with black consequences .
Calendula officinalis . photograph by : Wikimedia Commons .
UnidentifiedCollins write about one plant life whose identity eludes us . The leaves of an unnamed plant are used several times to mend various wounds and ailments : in one instance , Rue chews the leaf , then applies the pulpy salve to Katniss ’s tracker jacker wounds ; in another , Katniss ’s female parent boils the leaves to make a medicative philosophers' stone ; finally , Katniss uses the leaves to regale Peeta ’s leg wound . It ’s potential that the flora isCalendula officinalis , which herbalists often exalt for its good tinctures , tea leaf , and oil . Calendula leafage and petals have been utilize to subjugate inflammation and as an antiseptic against contagion . Calendula is a good candidate for this unnamed flora , but it ’s toilsome to be sure . Hunger Gamesfans , what do you think it could be ?
Thanks to Peter Schafran , ethnobotanist atOld Dominion University , for consulting on this bit .
