VIII: Maidenhair
The strange death of Percy Barrows.
Good morning. Today is octidi, the 28th of Ventôse, Year CCXXXI. We celebrate les capillaire, a fern that repels water.
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These lovely ferns get their name not from the fronds, but the stems, which tend to sprout from rocky cliffsides and dangle down in black bunches, resembling hair with frosted green ombre ends. They're the old school Billie Eilish of plants. You'll most often find them wherever waterfalls are common.
Here's a short and strange and tragic tale from 120 years ago.
Maidenhair ferns are mostly known as a domesticated garden plant despite their wide natural habitat and several adapted species to nearly every corner of the planet. They were particularly in vogue around the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries, because the plant traditionally represents purity and innocence, and was a widely used base for the baroque bridal bouquets that were in fashion at the time.
