The plants of middle earth

[Alfirin]

I think I've got you beat on obssesive gardening, Lalwende. One of my hobbies is taking the errant "weed seeds" that I find in bags of imported beans and spices that i purcase for cooking and planting the in pots, just so i can see what come up. (pots so they don't get out and spread all over the place). I current have amongs other things a pair of barrels cotaining assorted vetches, and a stump full of bur gourds, wild horned melons assorted african cucumber relatives and a smattering of wild oats. I had wild peas and wild soybeans earlier in the year too but the former have all been harvested and the latter were eaten by squirrels

As to the picture posting I'm afraid i'm not very good at computer functions and getting pictures posted is probably beyond my skills. If you give me a few days I can prably make a list of links to pictures of the plants being discussed and post that if that would be of any use.

I hand though of comfrey for Athelas. What a good idea it's in the daisy family so it would have longish leaves. I think the mintish qualities however are less like common mind and more like those of the more medicnal min realives like pennyroyal or horehound especally becuse Athelas is supposed to smell "wholesome" but not "sweet"

I suppose wisteria might cover some of the hanging white flowers though I'm more used to thinking of that as a vine than a tree and it doesn't really have an odor.

I also have a new one the undietified vine bearing star shaped white flowers which frodo sees growing on the decaptated statue at the crossroads in Ithiilien. My bet its white flowered cypress vine (Imponomea qualicomit) in the morning glory family.

[Lalwendë]

NOt sure where you are, but most Wisteria grown in the UK is strongly scented! This is the lilac flowered variety - grow more than two or three stems of it and it could pull your house down it's so woody. You get some unusual varieties though and there is one in a front garden near my house that has indeed been trained into a tree! A White flowered, non-scented one - this year is the first time it has flowered.

Now there's a kind of Eastern balm or sage that could also be a good candidate for Athelas....but I can't locate the name yet....

EDIT - Found! What I was thinking of was Tulasi or Holy Basil, as used in the Ayurvedic tradition of medicine. Not sure about the leaf shapes but the traditions make it sound appropriate.