In the illustration above, LXX stands for "70th", in Roman numerals, of Charlemagne's ordinances (or capitularies)

"Chapter 70 - We want the following plants to be cultivated in the garden: lily, roses, fenugreek, costmary, sage, rue, southernwood, cucumbers, pumpkins, gourds (or Spanish artichokes), cowpeas (or mongettes or mogettes), cumin, rosemary, caraway, chickpea, squill (sea onion), gladiolus (or iris), tarragon, anise, colocynth, bitter chicory (or marigold), ammi, seseli (or skirret), lettuce, nigella, rocket, [garden] cress, burdock, pennyroyal, alexanders, parsley, celery (or smallage), lovage, savin, dill, fennel, chicory, dittany, mustard, savory, white mint (or horsemint), mint, wild mint, tansy, calamint (or catmint or cat's herb), great chamomile (or centaury), poppy, chard, cabaret, marshmallow, mallow, carrot, parsnip, orache, beet, kohlrabi, cabbage, onions, chives, leek, turnip (or horseradish or radish), shallot, spring onion, garlic, madder, cardoon, broad bean, pea, coriander, chervil, épure, clary. And may the gardener grow houseleek on his roof."

CHARLEMAGNE


The "Capitulare de villis vel curtis imperii", often shortened to "Capitulary de Villis", is the collection of articles with the force of law issued between 770 and 813 by Charlemagne (some say by his successor Louis the Pious) for the proper management of the imperial estates. Only one manuscript has come down to us. This document, written in medieval Latin, shows how the gardens of the Carolingian era were meant to be managed. It is kept in the Wolfenbüttel Library in Germany. (Photo: the medicinal plant garden in Wiesbaden).

Ninety-four plants are listed as to be cultivated: 73 plants and herbs, 16 fruit trees, 3 textile plants and 2 dye plants. Here is the list of plants mentioned in chapters 43 and 70, compiled by Alain Canu, who has produced a truly exemplary translation (the Capitulary in full in Latin and French, followed by commentaries by Alain Canu)

This list is not new historically: the 89 plants of chapter 70 are found in two important works of the 1st century, Pliny's "Natural History" and Dioscorides' "De materia Medica".

Chapter 43 - Let there be distributed in good time to our women's workshops, as is customary, flax, wool, woad, vermilion, madder, wool-carding combs, teasels*, soap, grease, small containers and other equipment needed in those places.

(*Editor's note - nowadays we would say "fuller's teasel" or cardère)

LIST OF THE PLANTS IN THE CAPITULARY DE VILLIS.

The first word is the common French name; the word in brackets is the medieval Latin name written in the Capitulary. It is not the botanical Latin nomenclature)

garlic (alia)

ammi (ameum)

dill (anetum)

anise (anesum)

orache (adripias)

southernwood (abrotanum) (also known in French as herbe de la Saint-Jean, herbe de feu, tabac de Saint-Pierre)

burdock (parduna)

chard (betas)

beet (blidas)

cabaret (vulgigina)

catmint or catnip or cat's herb (neptam)

bottle gourd (Lat. cucurbitas or Fr.: courge pélerine)

carrot (carvitas)

caraway (Lat; careium, Fr. cumin des prés or false cumin)

celery or smallage (apium)

thistle (cardon)

chicory (intubas)

cabbage (caulos)

kohlrabi (ravacaulos)

chives (britlas)

pumpkin or large squash (pepon)

spring onion (cepas)

colocynth (coloquentidas)

cucumber (cucumere)

watercress (nasturtium)

cumin (ciminum)

dittany (diptamnum)

hyacinth bean (Lat. Fasiolum, Fr. haricot mongette or mogette)

shallot (ascalonicas)

tarragon or serpent herb (dragentea)

fennel (fenicolum)

fenugreek (fenigrecum)

broad bean (fabas maiores)

madder (warentia)

gladiolus or blue iris (gladiolum)

great chamomile or feverfew (febrefugiam)

woad, indigo or pastel (waisdo)

marshmallow (mismalvas)

lettuce (lactucas)

Flax (linum)

lily (lillium)

lovage (levisticum)

alexanders (olisatum)

mallow (malvas)

mint (mentam)

pennyroyal (puledium)

white mint or watercress-like mint (sisimbrium)

wild mint (mentastrum)

costmary (costum, costus)

mustard (sinape)

turnip or horseradish or radish (radices)

nigella (git)

onions (uniones)

parsnip (pastenacas)

poppy (papaver)

parsley (petresilinum)

chickpea (cirerum italicum)

leek (porros)

rosemary (rosmarinum)

rocket (eruca alba)

rose and wild rose (rosas)

rue (rutam)

savin (savinam)

savory (satureiam)

sage (salviam)

sea squill (Lat. Squillam, Fr. oignon marin)

skirret (silum)

marigold (solsequiam)

tansy (tanazitam)

Paul KEIRN