IRONWEED, o BOLDO BAIANO
Iconic favorite of mine
the one that grows any and everywhere
yet not here in my place
try as I might.
It is magic then
when I see it.
New York Ironweed or Vernonia noveboracensis here, also known as
“boldo baiano” in the state of Bahia, Brasil, “assa peixe” or fish-roast in my
original home state of Minas Gerais, dambwe in Chichewa, one of the many
languages of Malawi, onugbu in Igbo, vernonie in France and so on.
The Internet is the Oracle of
our times and one finds easy answers for everything - the accuracy of
historical interpretations remains quite dubious.
So, Vernonia it seems, was named
after William Vernon, an English botanist who collected specimens around
Maryland, circa the end of the 1600s. (Yes, the sixteen hundreds). In the name and loyalty of kingdoms, he and many other
European colonizers travelled around the world chopping, killing, drawing, collecting
and naming.
I understand there are more
than 1000 related species worldwide. In the United States it is known as Noveboracensis,
meaning "from the new place". The USDA map lists it as native to many states here
in the East, and to New Mexico.
However, the plant predates and transcends
its name, for sure. In Malawi it is used as part of a traditional vegetable
stew, or “ndiwo”, made with the leaves of sweet potato, cassava, pumpkin and
whatever else is available. Served with
or without peanut butter.
In Brasil, it is well known
for its medicinal and culinary properties – the famous “boldo baiano” or assa-peixe.
Considered a sacred plant with connections to the Orixás of Candomblé.
Ironweed is also a tough, powerful,
yet beautiful movie directed by Argentine born Brazilian Hector Babenco, who
died last month. Jack Nicholson and Merryl Streep are the mythological
protagonists in this poignant tale of desperate survival, during the Great
Depression. Based on the novel by William Kennedy.
Ironweed is a dream of a
gate by the river,
where a strong rusting iron man
where a strong rusting iron man
waits for me in the crossing.
Additional sources: Useful plants of Malawi, by
Jessie Williamson, University of Malawi, 1975
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