HERB-201 Lessons

Year Two, Lesson Seven
Hands-on Herbology

Introduction
Another lesson, another group of plants! We will not be going on any field trips today and will remain in Greenhouse One. The plants we are studying today can be easily transported to and from Greenhouse Four, where we grow them. Today, as you might have guessed by the tanks of floating plants, we will be taking a look at some water plants and special considerations we need to make when planting, growing, harvesting, repotting, and the like. We will then go over a handful of water plants to have a look at specific examples and what care for an individual plant would look like.

Definitions and Distinctions
First, though, we really ought to clear up the various different kinds of water plants, so as not to cause confusion. There are a few divisions to be discussed. First, it is important to note whether they are submerged (the plant grows completely under the water), emersed -- no, not immersed -- (the plant either lays on top of the water or sticks out in some way), or emergent (the plant grows along the shoreline or in very boggy or swampy areas). While it may seem an unnecessary detail, if you attempt to grow a submerged plant in shallow water, and therefore allowing some of it to protrude, the exposed portions will likely wither and die. In some cases, this error could even result in the failure of the whole plant. Similarly, if you attempt to grow an emergent plant completely underwater, you’ll be as disadvantaged as a troll trying to play the trumpet. No matter how much effort you put in or time you spend, you’ll have no success.

Secondly, there is a more obvious distinction between plants that grow in freshwater and those that grow in saltwater. If you attempt to grow a pond plant in the ocean, you will have little more than a soupy mess on your hands! It is important to note that there is a relatively even distribution of freshwater and saltwater plants in each of the three earlier categories -- submerged, emersed, and emergent. Today, we will be having the first half of our discussion of water plants, focusing solely on freshwater specimens, whereas next week, we will be looking at their salty counterparts. Let’s begin, shall we?

Grow, Grow, Grow Your Boat
The main difference between growing normal foliage and aquatic plants is, you guessed it, more water! Not only do they use the water they grow in for life-giving moisture, but they also receive nourishment from the various vitamins and minerals present. Therefore, despite the fact that many water plants grow roots into the ground, soil pH is not nearly so much an issue as the acidity or alkalinity of the body of water in which they are growing. On the plus side, you don’t need to worry about how often to water them, or about drainage!

Water plants still have normal sun requirements and may fall anywhere on the spectrum of full sun, partial shade, or full shade, as is normal. There is an added layer of difficulty when considering completely submerged plants, as if they require full sun, you will need to ensure they are close enough to the surface that the sun’s rays can reach them, but also there is enough water to allow them room to grow.

To plant aquatic greenery in a greenhouse, you will want to first start with a pot or plant bed, depending on how much you would like to allow your plant to spread naturally. Ensure that the soil is damp or muddy, then add the desired seed, bulb, or root cutting and cover with more moistened earth. Once your planting is complete, gently lower the pot into the aquarium-like, climate-controlled tanks most herbologists have on hand. Alternatively, you can use this same procedure to lower a pot into a naturally occurring or man-made body of water. If you want to plant something natural in a pond, lake, or stream, this is slightly trickier, as you will need to actually get in the body of water and, in most cases, submerge yourself, which requires a number of spells to help overcome the issues that come with being underwater.

To repot aquatic plants, you may use the Levitation Charm to raise the pot out of the water. Keep in mind that due to the interference that water can cause on spells, this will require a fair bit more willpower and concentration than what you are used to. However, it will at least work as originally intended, unlike some spells when used underwater. Just make sure the tip of your wand is not submerged! Increase your willpower to combat the resistance of the water and your concentration to accommodate for the fact that it is difficult to aim through the refracted light. Once you have accomplished this, you then have a limited time to quickly and efficiently transplant it. Most plants, particularly the ones we are covering today, should survive at least a few hours out of the water, so there should be no problems there, but it would not do to leave them out all night, forgotten!

In terms of harvesting, there are a few options. If you want to harvest the whole plant, as in the case of Gillyweed, you can simply bring up the pot and call it a day. However, if you want to leave your plant submerged, you will need to use common pruning shears to remove the parts of the plant required. This is for two reasons. Firstly, because light refracts through water, if you were to use the Severing Charm, you may hit the wrong portion of the plant or miss it entirely. Secondly, the Severing Charm seems to have substantial difficulty working underwater, and therefore manual approaches are preferred. In most cases, the parts you have clipped will simply float to the top to be scooped up with a net or your bare hands, if appropriate.

Lastly, while we’re on the topic of charms, I would like to finish by addressing the application of additional charms. Spells like the Growth-Starting Charm or the Darkening Charm will be difficult to cast on plants that are underwater. For herbologists working in greenhouses, the plant is usually removed from the water for any spells to be cast. However, in the specific case of the Darkening Charm -- and any others that do not need to be applied directly to the plant -- the spell can be applied to the panes of glass of the tank in which the plant is growing.

Freshwater Flowers
Now, onto the meat of the lesson. Eh... well, you know what I mean: the plants! As I said earlier, today will be about freshwater aquatic plants only, so all plants mentioned today cannot be grown in saltwater. As you will likely have come to expect, today's selection of plants is not exhaustive, but I will attempt to cover a mix of magical and non-magical species. We will also be focusing on more common or easier to care for plants. If today’s lesson whets your appetite, don't worry, there will be other plants we are saving for later, such as the arctic Vishyroot, or the carnivorous Venus flytrap!

Arrowhead
The first plant to be covered today is arrowhead. Before we go any further, I should probably mention that there are multiple kinds of plants with the common name “arrowhead.” There is an arrowhead vine; an average, everyday land plant which is also called the arrowhead; and a number of different species of water plants that fall into the same family. For the purposes of this lesson, though, we will be talking about Sagittaria sagittifolia, which grows predominantly in Europe, Asia, and North America. This emersed plant gets its name from its distinctive pointed leaves, though the early leaves are still submerged and are more ribbon-like. The plant also bears little white flowers in clusters that appear during the summertime.

This plant grows easily and at a fairly steady rate, and can sometimes be classified as aggressive or invasive, particularly in some states across the pond. It can reach anywhere between six inches and three feet in height. For best results, the plant requires full sun, though it is less fussy abouts its pH balance and can happily grow in any soil within the liveable range, as discussed in Lesson Three of your First Year. The good news is that you don’t have to worry about watering it (as is the case with all plants in the aquatic category)! Although you should ensure that your plant is in at least one to two feet of water, allow part of the plant to jut out of the water’s surface once fully grown.

When used fresh, the flowers of the arrowhead can be used in the Drying Draught which has the interesting effect of drying up any liquid into which they are poured. Its leaves and stem, on the other hand, are featured in experimental potions to ward off dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other illnesses that cloud the mind.

 Aquagius Root
Now we come to both our first emergent plant, as well as our first magical plant. If your memory stretches back far enough, you may recall I mentioned this plant offhandedly back in your third ever lesson. Aquagius Root grows along the shorelines of bodies of water in the southern regions of the United States (though it has been successfully cultivated in greater Europe). The root-like protrusions you see to the left are actually the main stem of the plant, and the true roots are housed underground, sucking up water from the nearby river. The protrusions can grow anywhere from just a few inches to an entire foot in height. The sun requirements of this plant are essentially non-existent (and there seems to be no correlation between height and sunlight received). However, there is some evidence that more alkaline soil -- between 7.0 and 8.0 -- is beneficial.

This plant requires a fair amount of planning to grow in a greenhouse, not because it is difficult to cultivate, but because it requires a large body of water next to it, something not commonly found in an average-sized herbologist’s hothouse. More often than not, herbologists simply plant it alongside a pre-existing body of water and then build a temporary or smaller greenhouse around the plant (if a greenhouse is even necessary).

The protrusions can be harvested at any time, and when they are harvested, you will discover that the entirety of their center -- apart from the outer skin -- is water, despite them being deceptively sturdy to the touch. The root-like structures are essentially miniature reservoirs, and this is their most common use, whether by grazing animals, lost travelers, or savvy explorers. Taxodium aquagius’s magical designation is earned by the fact that the plant is somehow able to house (and produce, when harvested) extraordinary amounts of water; so much so that at first glance, the water seems to be never-ending, or constantly refilling. Herbologists point to magical properties in the actual roots of the plants that allow reserves of water to be stored in them until needed, effectively refilling the main hollow of the plant.

Fairy Ferns
Just like the fern flower, “Fairy Fern” is another misnomer and not actually a fern. Incarvillea lysienne gets its name from its delicate, frond-like leaves, and the fact that it unveils its luminescent, twinkling flowers with every full moon. Despite being lovely to look at, this Scandinavian plant is kept under strict watch to ensure that it does not spread, as its light show is considered to be a potential danger to the International Statute of Secrecy. However, despite all of these attempts, new clusters have been found in various bodies of water in northern Canada, though it is uncertain whether they were purposefully cultivated or accidentally spread.

Typically, these plants are found in large, deep lakes, and can be planted very far below the surface of the water -- even up to a thousand feet -- and still grow without issue. They can also grow in shallower water, but require at least ten feet between their roots and the surface. These nocturnal plants will grow without issue in full sun, partial shade, or full shade, but will not open during the day unless protected by a Darkening Charm, both on the top and the side of the tank. The delicate, grey-green fronds themselves grow to a small height of six inches, though there have been reports of larger Fairy Ferns coming from the north of Canada.

In addition to their dazzling light show, the glowing blossoms of Fairy Ferns are used in potions to ease tensions and promote understanding of others’ perspectives. Many a drink at international magical conferences and negotiations have been spiked with the essence of Fairy Fern. There are no extra considerations for repotting, but if you intend to use your plants for potion-making purposes, you should avoid picking them under a new moon. As we went over in Lesson Five of this year, this will dampen the main effects of the plants, as usual, but due to the plants’ close ties with the moon, it is more or less useless if gathered at this stage. To harvest, you must snip the flowers from the fronds, though depending on how deep below the water’s surface they are planted, this may be difficult. Leave the “ferns” to grow more flowers later, as the leaves themselves have no currently known use.

Marsh Marigold
Also called kingcups, among other things, this non-magical, emersed beauty sports bright yellow flowers on its chartreuse stalks. Not to be confused with its invasive cousin, the lesser celandine, marsh marigold has far fewer, and much broader petals. Interestingly, this plant can also be planted in very watery soil (along shorelines) like an emergent plant, but for easier upkeep and care, the wetter the better! When in good conditions -- full or partial sun and soil around 6.5 acidity -- the plant will grow between one and three feet in height. If planting underwater as an emersed plant, do so very shallowly, so its roots in the dirt are covered by only a few inches of water at most.

The plant blooms in spring, and if you are harvesting the plant for its leaves, you should make sure to harvest before the flowers appear. The leaves are used in concoctions to create boils and rashes, whereas the flowers are used in potions to treat anemia and promote healthy blood.

Water Hyacinth
Our last plant of the day is a stunning one, the water hyacinth. Its beautiful smoky, purple-white (though some would call them blue) flowers grow in clusters, blooming in the summertime. Also known as Eichhornia crassipes, this plant is native to the Amazon, specifically Brazil, though is easy to cultivate in Britain apart from needing the shelter of a warm greenhouse during our cold winters. These plants grow best in full sun, though partial sun is also acceptable. They are emersed, though function a bit differently than many of the plants we have talked about so far. If you can get your hands on a pre-sprouted water hyacinth, you can simply pluck it out of the water where it is floating and bring it to your intended destination: a greenhouse pond, tank, or some other standing body of water (these plants can’t live in water that has a current, as they will get swept away due to the fact that they float on the surface). Then you can simply deposit them into that new body of water.

If water hyacinths are left to grow long enough, their roots can reach down to the bottom of ponds and grow into the dirt there, but this is not necessary. The overall plant structure, not including roots, can grow anywhere between 12 and 18 inches tall. Should you want to cultivate a water hyacinth of your own, you will see that I keep a handful of small water hyacinths floating in shallow tubs on the Second Year shelf. Be warned that these plants are considered invasive in some areas and grow well under cramped conditions, crowding out other plants. Fortunately, removal is often as easy as plucking the plant from the water!

In terms of the plant’s uses, the roots steal the show, overshadowing the pretty flowers. The roots, when fresh, possess purification qualities and can be used in antidotes, water purification potions, or experimental gaseous potions to decrease smog. When properly dried and ground into a powder, however, they can be used in anti-hemorrhaging potions. The flowers do have uses, but they are more for secondary or tertiary effects, such as affecting scent or taste in potions.

Closing
I am going to end today’s lesson now, though I could really go on all day. So many plants, so little time! Next week, we will be venturing out onto stormy seas to see what plants we can find growing there. In the meantime, you have your run-of-the-mill homework assignment. I will see you soon!

Original lesson written by Professor Venita Wessex
Image credits here, here, here, here, here, here, and here