Plants in Supernatural

A list of notable plants named or appearing in Supernatural. Includes spoilers. Updated as I watch.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Pine trees

season 9, episode 12: Sharp Teeth

Sam and Dean pull into the parking lot of Pine Place Apartments just to talk about their feelings and leave. To its credit, the sign is accompanied by a row of trees which could very well be pines.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Red carnation, wolfsbane, angelica, copal, juniper, liberty cap

season 9, episode 11: First Born.

Crowley appears next to Dean in a bar, holding a red carnation presumably taken from a jar on the table.

Red carnations make good cut flowers and a cheaper alternative to roses. Symbolically, different colored carnations signify different things; both pink carnations and white ones have been on Supernatural before. Red carnations may stand for socialism, the labor movement, revolution, or mourning, as well as love and passion like all red flowers. US President McKinley considered red carnation to be his lucky flower; he was assassinated in 1901, whereupon red carnation was made the state flower of Ohio. The musical Hadestown uses red carnations both in promotional materials and on stage, likely in reference to the show's themes of labor and revolution. The flower's presence in this shot may relate to mourning or Crowley's political standing as the disputed King of Hell.

Later, Tara offers up a beautiful handwritten recipe for a weapon-location spell and the corresponding array of components, minus one. Fortunately for me, most of these components are plants! The jars she pulls from her wall safe don't look like much, but the recipe calls for wolfsbane, Angelica Archangelica, Oil of Copal, sacred juniper branch, essence of kraken, flower urchin spike, and Psilocybe Semilanceata, in that order.

Wolfsbane has appeared on the show before. Someone evidently deemed it vital to substantiate this section of the spell recipe with the eminently unnecessary information "Queen of poisons," "Aconitum," and "Family Ranunculaceae" in addition to the helpful directions "Use flower center only. Use also roots and stems from below ground." The taxonomy is correct, just useless, and being poisonous is the plant's best known attribute. The directions are more telling. The flower centers are in a sense decentralized; there are nectaries enclosed in the upper "hood" of the flower and reproductive organs open to the air below. Even if an insect manages to make its way through the flower, whether by climbing into or chewing through the hood, the nectar contains alkaloids toxic to some seekers. Allegorically, or magically, this could align with the search for the weapon. Furthermore, the roots are where wolfsbane's toxins are most concentrated; this suggests emphasis on the more poisonous parts of the plant, likely symbolic of the weapon the spell is intended to locate.

Angelica Archangelica is the binomial given to garden angelica. In contrast to wolfsbane, angelica is edible, though easily confused for several poisonous plants. The show writers likely selected angelica solely for the broader thematic relevance of its name, which is fully unrelated to the weapon-location spell's purpose, and would have been far better suited to the angel-tracking spell Sam and Castiel attempt later.

Oil of Copal likely refers to an oil extracted from the resin of a copal tree. Three distinct species produce copal resin. Protium copal is native to Central America; Hymenaea courbaril commonly grows in Central and South America; Hymenaea verrucosa is native to East Africa. Incense is made from all three. My extremely cursory research suggests that copal oil is extracted from copal resin via steam; the spell recipe says "Oleoresin derived from steam of Holy Water," which I choose to interpret as corroboration. Oleoresin is a combination of oil and resin secreted by trees in self-defense. The magical function of this ingredient is unclear, but it likely contains some divine power and smells nice.

The sentence fragments "blessed fire. Burn sacred juniper branch" appear in the oil of copal section, with a note in the left margin reading "Best gathered amongst black rock." Some juniper trees can certainly grow in rocky terrain. The word 'gathered' implies multiple branches. The purpose of their burning isn't specified; perhaps to boil the holy water with which the oil is extracted from the copal resin? It is also unclear whether "sacred juniper" denotes a particular species within the Juniperus genus or any juniper held to have spiritual significance; the former would likely be easier to harvest. Juniper is, however, lacking in symbolism and literary reference. Its most notable characteristic for our analysis perhaps is having berries which can be distilled by steam into oil.

Essence of kraken is deeply mysterious; there is an utter paucity of information from both the recipe and characters. Tara says she never found any such essence; Crowley says he has a warehouse full of it; they both fail to mention what it is or how it is made. The only written direction is "Contain in a vial, pure and uncut," which doesn't even clarify whether the substance is solid or liquid! This deplorable dearth of description makes it impossible to determine with any real certainty whether essence of kraken is a euphemism for a plant, but given the Cthulu doodle in the margin, it's probably just some damn squid ink. It would be pretty cool to see some hunters go after a sea monster for once, though, or anything fully inhuman.

Flower urchin, by contrast, is verifiably not a plant. As the name implies, it is a venomous sea urchin. Interestingly, the spines do not deploy the urchin's venom. According to Wikipedia: "Instead, the venom is administered through the flower-like globiferous pedicellariae." The spell recipe's instruction to use a spine is therefore inconsistent with the emphasis on toxicity implied by the collection directions provided for wolfsbane. Perhaps the writers simply did not dig up this bit of biology; perhaps they deemed it too confusing. Additionally, the recipe declares "best black," but as far as I can tell, no part of this species of urchin is ever black.

Psilocybe Semilanceata, or liberty cap (as the recipe discloses), is a species of fungus, so named for the resemblance of the mushrooms it bears to Phrygian caps, which became a symbol of liberty upon being confused with the pileus worn by freed Roman slaves. Fungi are of course not plants, but at least resemble plants in their relatively immobile, vegetative behavior, and practical applications for human life. Mushrooms specifically are the short-lived above-ground reproductive organs of fungi otherwise composed of root-like mycelium structures, similar to ephemeral plants. Liberty cap mushrooms in particular are potently psychoactive. Possession and use of this species is predictably restricted in many countries, but clearly that hasn't stopped Tara. The recipe dictates "Count odd number, best to use 13." Presumably this means 13 mushrooms. The fungus' purpose in the spell is unclear; effects include visual hallucinations comparable to LSD, elevated heart rate, spasms, and bad moods, which do not transparently correspond to either location-seeking or weaponry.

Honorable mention: Sam and Castiel attempt a spell including innominate potentially-plant materials. This episode establishes a mutually reciprocal, actively supportive relationship between Sam and Cas, which has been sorely lacking for multiple seasons. It does something to ameliorate my bitterness about Kevin. 

[plantsinsupernatural]

Oak

season 9, episode 8: Rock and a Hard Place

Oak wood stained with virgin blood is said to be capable of killing Vesta, Roman goddess of fire and chastity. Thus the theme of bodily purity reappears. Jody uses the goddess' own blood, which does the trick, despite Vesta first stabbing her with the anointed stake.

The show's description of Vesta's divine domain and worship is remarkably correct, though incomplete; she was specifically a goddess of the hearth fire and the home, associated with family and fertility in addition to virginity. Her priestesses were charged with the tending of her sacred flame, never allowing it to die. That anything could kill an immortal deity is of course, by definition, impossible. This is an inaccuracy Supernatural has indulged before--and on more than one occasion. The show is offing pagan deities almost as fast as angels.

I've posted about oaks before. Oaks comprise the genus Quercus. They range from semi-desert to sub-tropical habitats. Many oak trees have distinctively lobed leaves; all oaks bear acorns. They are noted for their great ecological significance, supporting many other species, especially fungi and caterpillars. Oak may have been the particular kind of tree necessary to relight Vesta's sacred flame, should it ever go out. Perhaps this is why it was picked to be her poison on the show; that which sustained her becoming the means of her destruction, much as the full practice of her worship brings hunters down upon her.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Rose (8)

season 9, episode 6: Heaven Can't Wait

Castiel cuts a red rose from a potted bush on his employer's porch before entering her home and realizing he's not her intended date; later, he uses the rose's thorns to cut his hand and paint a sigil with his blood.

Interestingly, Castiel's girlboss Nora is growing commercial-style long-stem roses in a pot in the shade of her roofed porch, rather than having planted some garden variety in a sunny part of her yard like a normal person. Garden roses typically have many flowers sharing short, irregular stems; roses grown for floristry have single blossoms at the ends of very long, straight stems. To my knowledge, all roses love the sun. I've posted about roses nearly as often as trees.

Symbolically speaking, roses (especially red roses) represent love and beauty, but infamously bear thorns. This particular rose is made to be a thematically relevant allegory for pain overcome. It begins with a pinprick, as a thoughtful romantic overture which Dean commends; then quickly transforming into a symbol of concealed emotion, a disappointment laid aside, and finally a simultaneous source of pain and power, although the true saving grace ends up being love. (Or a deus ex machina, if it please you to see it so.) The rose's silent progression illustrates the value Castiel finds in the endurance of distress, that which makes his graceless life worthwhile. He is, as it turns out, coping.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Flax, soy, wheat

season 9, episode 5: Dog Dean Afternoon

Sam and Dean track a symbol painted on a victim's storefront to a hippie cafe where one of the proprietors offers them a flax seed scone. Later, the hippies adopt the victim's dog, who calls one of them "tofu breath" and says he'll be "pooping wheatgrass with these two." Evidently this dog doesn't say shit.

Flax, also called line, is best known for being extremely useful. The seeds can be eaten whole, ground into meal, or pressed into linseed oil. Linen fabric is made from fibers found in the plant stems. The scones in the show are described as gluten-free and wheat-free (in that order), and thus are likely made with flaxseed flour. They would lose nothing by it. Being unrelated to wheat, flax is inherently gluten-free; gluten is good for creating structural integrity and delicate textures in baked goods, which are unnecessary qualities for scones, dense and crumbly as they most often are.

Tofu is made from the curds of soy milk, which in turn is made from soy beans. Soy is not used to make textiles, but is even more versatile than flax in cuisine. The beans are high in protein, and can be eaten whole as edamame when immature, or processed into meal, oil, milk, sauce, and other sundry food products. Soy has grown commonplace in the West, but is still considered distinctly East Asian.

According to Wikipedia, wheatgrass refers to "the freshly sprouted first leaves of the common wheat plant (Triticum aestivum), used as a food, drink, or dietary supplement." Its health benefits have historically been exaggerated. Aesthetically speaking, ripe wheat is on par with flax and soy, but wheatgrass just looks like grass.

Learned readers will note that despite being used in this episode to signal eccentricity, flax, soy, and wheat are all staple crops.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Poppy

season 9, episode 4: Slumber Party

Charlie tells Dorothy that a man of letters named Haggerty learned poppy extract could harm the Wicked Witch of the West, and he subsequently made a deal with a fairy for some of the vaguely defined substance; Charlie goes on to make four "poppy bullets" with the extract.

If it is what it sounds like, one need not deal with fairies to acquire "poppy extract." Opiate drugs including morphine and heroin are routinely extracted from poppy seeds.

The poppy field in the Wizard of Oz famously induces a potentially fatal sleep, as opiates are also capable of. Laudanum, another opiate, was relatively common and well-known in Frank Baum's time. Poppy flowers themselves are correspondingly symbolic of sleep and death.

I've posted about poppies before, but this is a far more significant and explicit reference, and in a notable new context besides.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Pickle

season 9, episode 3: I'm No Angel

Castiel plucks a pickle out of a trash can, smells it, and discards it.

Pickled cucumbers are fruits in the same way tomatoes are, bearing the seeds of the cucumber vine. Cucumbers, like pumpkins, are botanically considered a type of berry called a pepo.

The show's selection of this particular vegetable may be a visual gag, since Castiel is presently in a pickle. Then again, when is he not? Every season, Cas earns Dean's trust, then immediately loses it and has to re-earn it only to lose it again, and this is the second season in a row he's lost it because another angel made him incapable of fulfilling it.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Trees (9)

s9 e1: I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here.

Sam goes on another coma dream mind quest in another semi-symbolic imaginary forest in which he converses with various aspects of himself about his identity and wakes up changed. The first was in season 6. This time, his conflicting selves are personified as Bobby and Dean, and the woods are tinted gold with a soft focus; comfortingly dreamlike and thoughtful.

I've posted about nonspecific trees in this show one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - yes, eight times already, not including honorable mentions. Some of these are more interesting than others.

Honorable mention: We find Castiel wandering a wooded road.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Gerbera daisy, ivy

season 8, episode 22: Clip Show.

White gerbera daisies adorn every table at the restaurant where Castiel and Metatron meet the nephilim girl. Later, Crowley sends Sam and Dean to the Ivy Motel in Indianapolis.

Gerbera daisies have graced such tables before, but here they seem more deliberate. First of all, they're white, and as we have also seen before, white flowers in general symbolize innocence and purity, besides which gerbera daisies in particular represent innocence and purity. Further reinforcing this theme is the conversation being conducted by and about angels. Angels are supposed to be pure good. White is an angelic color. The angels' innocence is a crucial matter, as is the nephilim's.

Common ivy is a common name for Hedera helix, a fairly distinguished and distinctive evergreen vine. The name ivy is sometimes applied to other climbing or creeping plants; poison ivy, ground ivy, and so on. Common ivy is native to Europe and naturalized in some places, but invasive in others including the United States, having a tendency to choke out other plants and trees. Nonetheless it is a popular ornamental. This is the plant from which the Ivy League derives its name; Ivy universities supposedly have buildings covered in the stuff. Cultivation of ivy to cover walls is itself a markedly old-fashioned practice. Properly managed, and depending on the structure's material composition, ivy can strengthen a wall by acting as an insulator from frost; in other circumstances, it can damage buildings. The Ivy Motel is unfortunately uninspiring except for the stunningly gorgeous woman Sam and Dean find there.

Honorable mentions: There are other plants in and around the restaurant, including hanging baskets overflowing with ivy, and Castiel and Metatron confront the nephilim girl in a wooded park.

[plantsinsupernatural]

African Dream Root (2)

season 8, episode 20: Pac-Man Fever

Charlie is stuck in a djinn dream; when the antidote the brothers had previously developed fails to wake her, Sam suggests snapping her out of the dream from within it, to which Dean instantly says "African dream root!"

In the very next shot, the boys pour white powder into a mysterious amber tincture decorated with several cinnamon sticks (perhaps stand-ins for the root; but why, then, add the powder?) and shake it exactly once before Dean downs it and Sam knocks him out. Dean is the one dream-walking because I guess he cares about Charlie more than Sam? As Sam's early sensitivity and sentimentality wanes, Dean seems to be growing more inclined to get emotional about other characters. Sam usually has healthier relationships, but they keep ending and he keeps getting more isolated and detached, and now I'm starting to think Dean has more deep, strong connections even if they're more fucked up. It helps that Dean's closest relationships all stem from the job, while Sam keeps springing for mundane life. Normalcy never lasts long on TV.

As you may recall from its previous appearance, African dream root is a real plant native to South Africa, which closely resembles relatives like this bladder campion. The root can indeed induce vivid lucid dreams. In the show, it is also capable of allowing one to enter others' dreams. Sam and Dean evidently not only remember this plant but regularly keep it on hand, which makes me wonder: what other herbal materials do the brothers have up their sleeves and why do they so rarely pull them out? In any event, the drink works and so does the plan.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Lightning-struck tree

season 8, episode 16: Remember the Titans

The boys believe wood from a tree struck by lightning can kill Zeus. The show is clearly not interested in the wood, but I am.

Zeus is famously immortal and wields lightning as a weapon. For something harmed by his weapon to be thus transformed into a weapon capable of killing him feels balancing. The show has now twice established precedent vis-a-vis thematic relevance in a deity's undoing; the stake that killed Chronos, Greek god of time, had to be made from a very old olive tree (and carved by vestal virgins, and dipped in blood). However, we don't get to see if it works--at least in a literal sense. Prometheus is a victim of Zeus, analogous to the stricken tree. That analogy enables the situation to function thematically. The harm Zeus caused him gives Prometheus the capacity to become the instrument of Zeus' death. It makes less sense for Artemis, a goddess who is famously virginal in a suspiciously queer way, to have a crush on her own great-uncle in this stupid show, but I'm not getting into that. Artemis is not a plant.

The touch of a thunderbolt is not conducive to a tree's good health. The intense energy instantaneously transforms sap into steam, which expands until it bursts its woody constraints; in short, the tree explodes. Trees hit by lightning often have their trunks split apart, or suffer injurious burns, or lose bark, branch, or root. Given the wrong conditions, the thunderstruck tree and all which surrounds it may catch aflame. Given the right ones, coursing rainwater on the bark's surface may reroute the bolt, as a lightning rod would, and spare the tree from harm.

How the boys acquired these new Greek-god-killing stakes (notably distinct also from the Abrahamic-abomination-killing stake), we never learn. Surely they don't keep those on hand? Maybe they went to their local magic plants shop.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Six thousand tomatoes

season 8, episode 14: Trial and Error

Dean tells Kevin he needs a salad; upon returning from a grocery run, he asks Kevin and Sam "did you know there are, like, six thousand kinds of tomatoes?" Observant readers will know I have posted about tomatoes before, but it bears repeating.

If the phrase sounds familiar, try Kill Six Billion Demons. Or try it anyway. Dean is right, too; there are thousands of cultivars within the tomato species, differing in all manner of aspects. It is unclear whether Dean has actually bought any for Kevin. We can see a bunch of bananas clearly through the bag, and a prepackaged salad peeking out of the top; but while there are dim shapes potentially befitting of big red apple-esque tomatoes hidden behind that plastic veil, Dean only plucks a pair of pill bottles from within--his "present" to the prophet.

Honorable mention: the boys end up hunting hellhounds at a ranch, which involves some woods and open green space, and when Sam finally spots a hellhound with his brand new magic glasses, it's lurking in the shrubberies around the Cassity family's house.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Kava, chamomile

season 8, episode 12: As Time Goes By

The young woman running the hoodoo shop rejects Henry's initial request for a dragon tear and a pinch of the Sands of Time, and counter-offers kava root, saying “it’s great for anxiety.” Frustrated, Henry asks to purchase some chamomile “for my restless nights” instead.

Henry then recites a quick magical incantation over his little sample of powdered chamomile and blows it into the woman's face; she collapses, and he says "sleep well," before presumably raiding her stock. You'd think a seller of magical herbs would have seen that coming. You'd think the show would be more interested in her! I want to know her whole life story! Sam and Dean very quickly think to look for this shop, as though such suppliers are common conveniences which they've often casually availed themselves of. That's OUTRAGEOUS. Is this kind of place where Bobby gets his spell components? Is this kind of place a hunters' haven like Ellen's bar? There's a hunter's mark in the window; the young lady has a shotgun; she treats Henry like trouble but obviously has the rare materials he wants since he's doing his damn spell with them in her shop next time we see him. I have questions. This show just thoughtlessly gave me what I've been wanting since season 1 and treated it as if nobody could possibly care.

Kava is native to the Pacific Islands. The plant is best known for its use in producing the drink of the same name, which is indeed made from the root and typically calming. Its precise effects depend on the cultivar and preparation. The real traditional stuff is quite safe and pleasant. The show doesn't actually show us any kava, but the shopkeeper's suggestion of it does demonstrate both an excellent command of her trade and a condescendingly complete dismissal of Henry, delivered with perfect customer service manners. I want a spinoff series about her.

You may know chamomile. The name refers to several flowering plants, some of which are cultivated and often made into tea. Considering the shopkeeper's shocking nescience of its power (unless it is a power that only men of letters can utilize that way), her stock of it could be intended for ordinary customers rather than magic users. I am desperately curious about the demographic makeup of her clientele. Chamomile is supposedly relaxing and associated with sleep, as Henry clearly indicates; though not traditionally so much as poppies, which I've posted about before.

Honorable mention: There’s a big picture of some water lilies behind the counter. I've posted about water lilies before, too.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Rosewood, trees, belladonna

season 8, episode 11: LARP and the Real Girl

Sam and Dean introduce themselves as Agents Taggart and Rosewood, respectively. Obviously the magic tattoo depicts the Tree of Pain. Charlie and the boys go to the woods about it. Most importantly, however: This is that fateful episode in which Sam says “belladonna,” and Dean and Charlie reply, in perfect unison, “the porn star?”

Certain individuals may be pleased to note that Belladonna is indeed the name of an adult film actress. Additionally, astute viewers will recall that Dean recognized belladonna on sight the first time it showed up. 

Atropa belladonna is a relatively well-known, very poisonous flowering plant, also known as deadly nightshade. It is deceptively attractive; the flowers are small but pretty, and the ripe berries are shiny, black, and sweet. However, the name belladonna (Italian for "beautiful woman," appropriately for this episode) comes from its ancient use as a cosmetic.

The Tree of Pain is a symbol adopted in ignorance by the Shadow Orc players after it marks various targets of actual magic; this leads our hunters to the woods where the Orcs hang out. I've posted about nonspecific trees before. The Tree of Pain appears to be fictional, but it sure looks cool.

These same woods are where Charlie meets Gilda, who hails from the Hollow Forest of Arkhmoor, which is not shown. (Dare I hope it will be? There are so many seasons left.)

Rosewood does not in fact refer to any rose, but rather to various hardwoods; true rosewood trees belong to the genus Dalbergia. The name comes from the lasting sweet smell of the wood. Dean's use of "Rosewood" as a pseudonym may of course be a pop culture reference. However, pop culture references are not plants, and thus fall outside of my purview.

[plantsinsupernatural]

West Bank witch hazel

season 8, episode 10: Torn and Frayed

The first ingredient Kevin lists as part of a demon bomb is West Bank witch hazel. The other two he names are “skull of Egyptian calf” and “the tail of some random-ass newt that may or may not be extinct,” but calf skulls and newt tails are not plants and therefore irrelevant to my catalog.

Witch hazel blooms at just this time of year (late winter/early spring), along with snowdrops and winter aconites. I could not find a variety of witch hazel called West Bank, so Kevin likely means witch hazel grown in the West Bank territory of Palestine, that being a religiously significant area. However, witch hazels are not native to that area; three species of the Hamamelis genus are native to North America and the other two to East Asia.

According to Wikipedia, Persian ironwood used to be considered part of the genus Hamamelis, and remains in the same family. This tree is native to Iran, which is a little closer to the West Bank than China, and more rare than just any witch hazel. I would consider it a valid candidate for the demon bomb ingredient. Someone clearly finds the right stuff, as although the making of the bombs is not shown, they are used in this episode.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Wooded wetland

season 8, episode 9: Citizen Fang

Benny and the hunters looking for him spend some time in a Louisiana swamp, with all the trees and Spanish moss and everything that entails.

I've posted about nonspecific trees before. This particular woodland doesn't actually seem very wet, but Martin calls it a swamp.

Spanish moss is neither Spanish nor moss, but rather a bromeliad, like a pineapple or one of those rain-collecting flowers that tiny frogs live in. To quote Wikipedia: "The plant has no roots. Its flowers are red-pink and small, with spreading petals... Spanish moss propagates both by seed and vegetatively by fragments." It is indeed native to Louisiana, and does most of the heavy lifting on selling this forest as a southern swamp.

Honorable mention: We get another flashback to Sam and Amelia’s house in Texas, which has a big lush yard and window boxes full of flowers; see my last post for the thematic significance of cultivated plants.

[plantsinsupernatural]

Oak leaves

season 8, episode 5: Blood Brother

Benny’s "old man" appears in a room adorned with leaf-patterned wallpaper and a big leafy rug. The leaves in each pattern may belong to some variety or other of oak, which would be thematically appropriate.

Oak trees have long been noted in Europe for their height, longevity, and uses; oak wood is particularly strong and durable, which of course makes it good for building. Consequently, oak imagery is symbolic of strength, endurance, and other virtues befitting a European patriarch. These patterns could honestly represent any number of plants with lobed or compound leaves, but I wanted to talk about oaks.

As long as we’re discussing insignificant background plants, there are a few including a hydrangea outside Amelia’s motel room. These are not the first green things to grow around her; in 8.3: Heartache, she appears surrounded by plants in a park.

Throughout Supernatural so far, botanical settings are often dreamlike and otherworldly. Cultivated green spaces are relatively peaceful, but forests tend to be dangerous. Furthermore, both Amelia and Castiel's nature associations accompany avoidant behaviors, contributing to a sense of disconnection from normal reality. It should be interesting to see how the show's stance on plants continues to develop.