Correction: I said "Lenuria" a number of times in this video, but it's actually Lunaria! In any case, we wanted to share some additional description for this plant. Here's a quick paragraph from Wikipedia:
Lunaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to central and southern Europe. It includes two species, Perennial honesty and Annual honesty. They are widely grown as ornamental plants in gardens, and have become naturalised in many temperate areas away from their native habitat. In the language of flowers, it means Sincerity and Forgetfulness. ...The common name "Honesty" arose in the 16th century, and it may be due to the translucent seed-pods which are like flattened pea-pods and borne on the plant through winter. In South-East Asia, it is called the "Money Plant," and in the United States as "Silver dollars," because its seed pods have the appearance of silver coins.
Interesting... In comparing the two varieties on Wikipedia (which has additional photos), we've learned (from having gone for walks near daily this spring!) that our area seems to allow both varieties to thrive.
Original Comments
Below, we have included the original comments from this blog post. Additional comments may be made via Facebook, below.
On May 16, 2011, wrote:
I had no idea money plant could be consumed. The dried coin-like seeds almost definitely came from the lunaria. See this article I found, showing both purple flowers and the dried seed pods. Although I've tried to grow them from seed but no luck. I moved to a place with a much better growing yard, so hopefully I'll get some eventually. I also want to wait a bit to eat things from soil I know was not pesticide-bombed by the lawn services people use around here. Ew.
On May 17, 2011, wrote:
I've seen the dried coins in flower arrangements as well. On a side note--I highly recommend visiting or joining a Toastmaster's club in your area. It's a great way to meet nice people and learn and practice the principles of communication. Wishing you the best!