John Gerard - Addenda

Addenda

Despite some shortcomings in Gerard’s effort, Linnaeus honored him in the name of the plant genus Gerardia. Gerard’s Herball references many of the poisonous plants mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays. Additional value has been placed on the Herball by students of literature. For example, the herb which produces the death-like sleep of Juliet or Cymbeline may refer to Nightshade, Mandragora or Doronicum, all of them listed and described in the Herball.

The standard author abbreviation J.Gerard is used to indicate this individual as the author when citing a botanical name.

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