Moonwort (Botrychium lunaria) is a tiny fern which was reputed to have astonishing magical properties.
Although Moonwort is very difficult to find, it is thankfully very easy to identify. Without doubt, this helped cement it’s reputation as an unusual and special species in folklore. Read on to learn more. For an overview, see Wildlife in Scotland: A Beginner’s Guide.
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How did moonwort get it’s name?
The scientific name of common moonwort is Botrychium lunaria. ‘Botrychium’ comes from old Greek and Latin, and refers to a bunch of grapes. ‘Lunaria’ is from Latin and refers to the moon. Other names include: ‘Unshoe the Horse’ (17th Cent England), ‘Luan-lus’ in Gaelic (‘Moon plant’) and ‘Moonfern’ in Scots.
Identification of moonwort fern
In the often damp landscape of Scotland, ferns are a very familiar group of plants. The vast majority of fern species spread aggressively by releasing spores from underneath their sprawling leaves (consider bracken, for example). Moonwort is conspicuously different. For a start, it is tiny: rarely more then 8cm tall. It possesses very distinctive half-moon shaped paired ‘leaves’. In ferns, these ‘structures are technically different to true leaves and are known as fronds. Seperate to the fronds is a spike, bearing small bunches of grape-like organs (hence its genus name, see above). Moonwort is related to adder’s tongues and grape ferns, which have a similar structure.
Moonwort lifecycle
The majority of the moonwort plant actually grows below ground, deriving nutrients from a symbiotic relationship with a fungus. Thus, moonwort rarely needs to produce leaves. However, when environmental conditions are favourable, the plant produces it’s above-ground fruiting bodies. These consist of leaves and a separate spike called the sporophore. The grape-like organs on the sporophore contain the spores (like all ferns, moonwort produces spores instead of seeds). The above-ground part of the plant tends to die back at the end of summer, sometimes not appearing again for several seasons. This subterranean existence and brief growth perhaps contributed to the air of mystery surrounding the species.
Distribution in Scotland
The plant occurs in Scotland and Wales, but almost absent from England. Due to it’s heath and meadow habitat, Scotland’s moonwort occurs more frequently in the folklore of rural and upland areas. The map shows some of the areas where the species has been recorded in the Highlands. The species is easily overlooked and appears only irregularly in very specific locations. Therefore, some records are historical and it is likely under-recorded.
Species factfile ❀
Common name: Moonwort Scientific name: Botrychium lunaria Order: Ophioglossales, Family: Ophioglossaceae (Adders tongue ferns) Measurements: Up to 30cm height Habitat: Well drained meadows, open areas with short vegetation, heathland. Range: Europe, North America and Greenland Conservation status: IUCN Red List: Least Concern
Moonwort folklore in Scotland
Botrychium lunaria constitutes Britain’s only moonwort species, so it must have appeared highly distinctive to herbalists and witches. The magical properties attributed to moonwort were certainly far-reaching, for example stopping bleeding, creating gold and accessing the faery world. Folklore spread widely in medieval Britain, so moonwort beliefs seem to be fairly consistent throughout its upland range. Note that in England a ‘wort’ plant was beneficial and had special ‘worth’.
Scottish beliefs
In Scotland, the ‘Law of Similars’ linked the moon-shaped leaves of moonwort with moonlight. Witches were thought to collect moonwort by the light of the moon, thus harnessing its magical properties. James Hogg, the famous 18th Century Scots writer and folklorist refers to the ‘Moon fern’. Popularly known as the ‘Ettrick Shepherd’, Hogg wrote a poem in Scots called ‘The Witch of Fife’. In the poem, cows, trees and hemlock became horses and moonwort leaves became their saddles. Then the group journey to the Faery realm under moonlight:
The ‘Law of Similars’ was a principle in medieval folklore which held that the outward appearance of the plant indicated it’s benefits or powers.
"The first leet night, quhan the new moon set,
"Quhan all was douffe and mirk,
"We saddled our naigis wi' the moon-fern leif,
"And rode fra Kilmerrin kirk"
Moonwort in alchemy
The folklore of moonwort in northern Scotland focused on faeries and witches. However, practices in lowland and southern Scotland were more influenced by those of England. One of these practices was alchemy – the attempt to create ‘noble’ metals and miraculous cures from ‘base’ materials. Gold was a much sought-after noble metal, but so was silver. Now, the metal silver has long been associated with the moon – perhaps due to the ‘silvery’ appearance of moonlight. Thus, alchemists believed the mysterious plant with moon-shaped leaves must surely be helpful in their endeavours. In fact, the plant’s reputation convinced even King Charles 1st’s herbalist that this was an alchemist’s dream come true. He believed it was the perfect catalyst for converting lead into silver or gold.
Moonwort’s metallurgical powers didn’t stop there. As well as creating precious metals, it could also open door locks. And, if carelessly overlooked, cause horses to lose their valuable iron horseshoes.
Healing powers
Modern science supports the strong antibacterial properties of silver. But interestingly, old English (and possibly Scottish) folklore also attributed strong healing powers to the ‘moon fern’, due to its association with that precious metal. In the quote below, the famous 17th Century British herbalist Nicholas Culpeper advocates moonwort for healing a wide variety of illnesses and injuries.
“It also stays bleeding, vomiting, and other fluxes. It helps all blows and bruises, and to consolidate all fractures and dislocations”
Nicholas Culpeper
A medieval wonder-medicine consisted of moonwort leaves boiled in the healthiest drink of the time: red wine.
How could such an unassuming plant hold such amazing powers? According to Culpeper, the power of moonwort was due to one very simple reason, that the ‘moon owns the herb’.
This is a tiny fern with a big reputation. Almost certainly helped in no small part by it’s unique and rare appearance. In fact, moonwort’s rich folklore could make it one of the most mysterious of Scottish plants.
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