WEEK 1
To start off the year we'll be studying aconite, a highly toxic plant that grows to an average height of 3 feet and has dark green leaves. It's flowers, which are shaped like a hood, come in a variety of colors from royal blue to dark violet and even white.
Owing to it's toxicity you must always wear your dragon hide gloves when handling this plant as the sap of some varieties can be absorbed through the skin. You must also take care to never ingest any part of it as consuming just 2mg can cause death in as little as 4 hours. Burning, tingling and numbness are typically first signs of aconite poisoning along with nausea, vomiting, laboured breathing, a weak and irregular pulse and cold, clammy skin. In severe cases, aconite poisoning can lead to confusion, extreme pain, paralysis, convulsions, seizures and heart failure causing death.
Despite its toxicity, aconite is used medicinally in small amounts to treat a number of ailments.
Two common names for aconite are monkshood and wolfsbane, the latter of which is used in the brewing of both the Wolfsbane Potion and the Wideye Potion.
HOMEWORK
1. Describe the physical appearance of aconite.
2. What are some signs of aconite poisoning?
3. Research and tell me four things aconite has been used to treat medicinally.
4. Why do you think aconite is used in the Wolfsbane Potion?
WEEK 2
This week we'll be studying two plants, fluxweed and knotgrass, which both have magical properties and are used in the Polyjuice Potion.
Fluxweed
Reaching heights of 30-60 inches, fluxweed is an annual herb in the mustard family and predominately grows in wastelands, along roadsides and even up house walls. It prefers moist soil and is capable of flourishing even in semi-shade or no shade. Fluxweed flowers are pale, greenish-yellow and are very, very tiny (about 0.2 of an inch wide) with 4 narrow petals and 4 sepals that are usually longer than the petals. The leaves of the fluxweed are greyish-green in color, alternate from the stem and are stalkless.
Fluxweed is native to certain regions of North Africa, Europe and Asia and was historically used to treat dysentery. It also has culinary uses: both its shoots and seeds can be eaten cooked or raw.
Knotgrass
A hardy plant, knotgrass grows between 4-16 inches high in fields and wastelands across native regions of Eurasia and North America and naturalized temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere. Its narrow leaves grow between 0.5-1.5 inches, are hairless, short-stalked and alternate from the stem. It produces small flowers even tinier than those of the fluxweed – they're just shy of three sixteenths of an inch in diameter – that each have 5 green tepals with white or pink borders. Knotgrass can be used medicinally, particularly as an astringent to stop bleeding, as well as many other ailments. It can also be brewed into an alcoholic beverage and grows in the Forbidden Forest.
Upon reflection, I probably shouldn't have told you that last bit...
HOMEWORK
1. What are the differences between fluxweed and knotgrass? What are the similarities?
Research Questions:
2. When must fluxweed be picked in order to be useful in the Polyjuice Potion?
3. What alcoholic beverage is brewed using knotgrass?
WEEK 4
Foxglove is an absolutely gorgeous plant that grows anywhere from 2-5 ft, though some varieties grow as tall as 6 feet They're a rather slender plant with tubular flowers growing in clusters at the top. These flowers can range in color from purple, red and pink to yellow and white. The long leaves grow at the base of the stem during the first year of its growth, while the flowers bloom the second year. Plants that bloom in their second year as the foxglove does are known as biennials. Foxgloves grow best in areas that receive full sun to partial shade and have rich, well drained soil.
Although foxglove is considered poisonous its leaves contain a substance called digitalis which is used in Muggle medicine to regulate the heartbeat and strengthen the heart. Too much, however, will cause heart failure. In potion making, foxglove is used to make the Pompion Potion.
HOMEWORK
1. Approximately how long does it take foxglove bloom (from a seed)? What kind of plant does this make it?
2. Name four colors foxglove flowers can be.
Research Questions:
3. On what three continents is foxglove native?
4. Tell me two names foxglove was known by in Medieval times.
5. What other plant - this one magical - is used in the Pompion Potion?
WEEK 5
Alihotsy is the next plant you'll be learning about this year. It's a magical tree whose leaves, when eaten, causes hysteria and uncontrollable laughter. For this reason, Alihotsy leaves are used to brew two potions, each utilizing one of these properties: Alihotsy Draught, which induces hysteria even when just its blue fumes are inhaled, and Laughing Potion, which induces (you guessed it) laughter.
To cure the effects of Alihotsy a treacle produced by the Glumbumble – a magical flying insect native to Northern Europe that is both grey and furry in appearance – must be consumed. The treacle works as it produces melancholy in all who eats it
Just a heads-up about the homework this week – they're all research questions. Have fun!
HOMEWORK
1. What is another name for Alihotsy? Why do you think it has this alternate name?
2. What Dark creature is the Laughing Potion effective against? Speculate why this is.
3. What plant, which I teach in the First Year lessons, does the Glumbumble eat?
4. Which Minister for Magic died after eating Alihotsy-flavored fudge? Why did it kill her?
WEEK 3
This week we're going to study our the first magical plant of the year: the Shrivelfig.
The Shrivelfig is a magical deciduous plant that grows best in Abyssinia, but can grow almost anywhere due to its hardy root system that enables it to survive harsh winters and scorching summers. The bulb-shaped fruit of the Shrivelfig, which contains its flower, produces a liquid; the fruit, flower and liquid are all purple in color. If caring for a Shrivelfig plant you must regularly prune any withered branches.
Various parts of the Shrivelfig are used in potion making, specifically in the brewing of the Shrinking Solution and the Elixir to Induce Euphoria. Shrivelfig leaves are also known to have medicinal properties.
HOMEWORK
1. I have a number of Shrivelfigs here that are in dire need of trimming. Please take a pair of shears and remove all the withered stalks - but do try to avoid those with fruit growing on them! Tell me, in a paragraph, how this went.
2. What is the name of modern day Abyssinia?
3. What does it mean when it's said that a plant is deciduous?
4. How must the Shrivelfig be prepared in order for it to be used in the Shrinking Solution?
Bonus: Speculate what medicinal properties Shrivelfig leaves have.
WEEK 6
We'll be studying another pair of plants this week: ginger and dittany. Both of these plants are highly effective when used for medicinal purposes and as potion ingredients.
Ginger
You probably already know of the ginger root as it's commonly used as a spice in various foods. I personally love adding it to my chicken cabbage stir fry – yum! Ginger, as a spice, is widely versatile and can be used in all sorts of recipes including sweets and main dishes. It's even made into candy, beer and tea. Medicinally, ginger has been used to treat stomach ailments such as nausea, gas, vomiting and appetite loss, as well as for various types of pain, including arthritis.
The plant itself is actually a herb whose stems grow 3-4 ft. high, and has narrow leaves and clusters of yellow flowers. These yellow flowers actually start out as pink or white buds. As soon as the stalk withers, the ginger root is harvested. While India has become the largest producer of the plant, ginger is actually native to south China.
In potions, ginger is used in the Wit-Sharpening Potion and the Boil Cure Potion.
Dittany
Growing only on the island of Crete in Greece, dittany is a small shrub just 8-12 in. high that has a velvety texture. Its leaves grow in pairs opposite one another and are just 0.5-1.0 in. in diameter. Dittany's tiny flowers grow in cascades of elongated clusters and can be either purple or pale pink. The small leaf-like structure just under the flowers – called bracts – are dark pink, making the entire shrub quite lovely in appearance.
One of the most common things dittany is used for is a wound healer. Both magic and non-magic folk have used it this way, but our method is much more effective. While muggles make dittany into a poultice, magic-folk make into an essence. This essence causes new skin to instantly grow when applied to a wound, making it look days old, and it will even help to reduce scarring. For minor wounds, dittany can be eaten raw. It also aids in the healing of werewolf bites when mixed with silver, though it doesn't seem likely that this treatment also prevents a person from turning into a werewolf.
In potions, dittany is used in the Wiggenweld Potion.
That's it for this weeks lesson. Feel free to try one (or two) of my delicious ginger newts before you leave!
HOMEWORK
1. Have you ever used ginger and dittany before? If so, tell me about it. If not, tell me how you might someday be required to use ginger and dittany. Detail is important for this question.
2. When must the ginger root be collected?
Research Questions:
3. In what form must dittany be when used in the brewing of the Wiggenweld Potion? In what form must ginger be when used in the Wit-Sharpening Potion?
4. What color is essence of dittany? What color smoke does it produce when it's applied to a wound?
WEEK 7
Just one plant to study this week, but it's a doozy: the Mandrake. This incredible plant, which also goes by the name Mandragora, has a brown colored root that bear a close resemblance to a human, except for the fact that it has green and brown leaves growing out of its head. The root is, for lack of a better word, a baby when young and matures as a human does in that it goes through adolescence: the Mandrake will exhibiting behaviour that is secretive and moody, develops acne and, once teenagers, throw parties with other Mandrakes. Mandrakes reach maturity once they start climbing into each others pots, at which point that they are ready to be harvested.
Extreme caution must be taken when caring for this plant as the cry of a mature Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it. The cry of a baby Mandrake, however, is far less harmful and will only cause a person to pass out for a few hours. Wearing earmuffs when handling Mandrakes is the best way to protect yourself against their cry. Mandrakes themselves must be protected against two creatures that are particularly fond of eating them: Dugbogs, a creature found in the bogs and marshes of Europe and the Americas, as well as Flesh-Eating Slugs, which are native to Great Britain.
Mandrakes are used in a variety of antidotes, particularly the Mandrake Restorative Draught which returns a petrified person back to their original self. This Draught was famously used in 1993 to revive four students, one cat, and one House ghost who had been petrified by the basilisk that lived in the Chamber of Secrets. Mandrake is also used in the Pepperup Potion and in the Wiggenweld Potion.
HOMEWORK
1. I've got some Mandrakes here that have outgrown their current pots and need to be transplanted into slightly larger ones. Please take a Mandrake and very, very carefully re-pot it. Make sure the Mandrake is sufficiently fed and watered (for tips, refer to Week 2 of the 1st Year Lessons). Tell me, in a paragraph or two, how it went.
Research Questions:
2. In what form must the Mandrake be when it's used in each of the three potions mentioned in the lesson?
3. How are Mandrake leaves used in the process of becoming an Animagus?
WEEK 8
I'm giving you a break from the usual lesson this week. I hope you've all enjoyed learning about the plants we covered. I know I certainly had fun teaching you!
If you're missing any homework now is the time to get caught up.
HOMEWORK
No homework, just post in the Owlery to tell me you read the lesson and are studying for the exam.