Icelandic medieval monastic sites:Icelandic plant-names and

plants in a historical context

pre Linnaeanhistorical / early botanicalPinax theatri botanici 1623/1671

post-LinnaeanSpecies plantarum

1753 scientific horticultural botanicalvernacular

folk-botanicalequivalents

Malva sp.edible greens

Brassica sp.Rumex sp.

kálkaalkailkål

Leymus arenarius, melgresi

sandhafrarvillihveitivillikornblaðka

melstöng

sandgrassumtag

sumtagsnál

Leymusarenariusmelgresi

Angelica archangelica, fjallhvönn

hvannarótætihvönnhvannjóligraðhvönn

brjóst-hvönn

geitla

englajurtenglaróterkikvönn

Angelicaarchangelica

Argentina anserina, tágamura

Medieval names: akrmura, mora, mura, pastinaca

• Collected – Leymus arenarius• Favoured but growing wild – Argentina

anserina• Cultivated – Angelica archangelica• Imported –

Viðey, 2009

• Allium S -• Argentina anserina - V• Artemisia - V• Bistorta vivipara - V• Borago officinalisS -• Brassica sp. S -• Malus sylvestris S -• Menyanthes trifoliata - V• Myrica gale - V• Plantago major S V• Sanguisorba off. - V• Urtica sp. S V• Valeriana officinalis - V

Allium oleraceum, villilaukr in Bær, 2010

• Bær 1030-1050? Monastery? Missionary bishop Rúðólfur: school, garden etc. ???

• Laukaflatir – (old) name of a small field where the laukr is still growing

• The villilaukr is reported growing in Bær by Björn Halldórsson in Grasnýtjar 1783

Medieval laws: laukagarðr 13th century?? The bishop of Hólar died in the laukagarðr at Hólar in 1457

Hólar 2009

• Bær 1030-1050? Monastery? Missionary bishop Rúðólfur: school, garden etc. ???

• Laukaflatir – (old) name of a small field where the laukr is still growing

• The villilaukr is reported growing in Bær by Björn Halldórsson in Grasnýtjar 1783

• Medieval laws: laukagarðr 13th century (Norwegian influence?)

• The bishop of Hólar died in the laukagarðr at Hólar in 1457

• Skáney – (close to Bær) German ”surgeon” Lazarus Mattheusson 1527-1570

• Tautra monastery in Norway (1207- ) the Allium oleraceum is growing there today