Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush is a familiar nursery rhyme and singing game.

This a Mulberry tree. During the spring it causes allergic reaction around the country. This is a flowerless tree so the pollen is fine to allow transportation by any means necessary. The pollen is sticky and fine. These factors result in bad allergies for those who suffer. 

Do you recognize the song Here we go round the Mulberry Bush? 

Wonder where it originated? Read On!

This is the most common version:

Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
On a cold and frosty morning.
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
So early in the morning.

This song is to have originated in 1840 and historian R. S. Duncan claims, a former governor of England’s Wakefield Prison, the song originated with that 420-year-old institution’s female prisoners, who were exercised around a mulberry tree. Which is probably not the connotation your six-year-old self had in mind.

The Cottonwood Tree

The Cottonwood Tree and it's flying seeds.

As we know, pollen is in the air, but there is no better tell tale sign than when you can actually see it flying through the air on cotton. The Cottonwood has two stages of seeding. 1. Is the release of yellow/green pollen and 2. Is the transcendence of the seeds in a fluffy white cotton.

Just because you see the fluff doesn't mean that what's causing allergies.

The Cottonwood is in the Poplar Family. This is the same family as the Juniper and Mulberry. 

Poplar Trees, otherwise known as cottonwood, is a pollen-producing tree that grows throughout North America. Poplar pollen induces a variety of allergic symptoms in some people, including asthma, red eyes and hay fever. Due to the similarities between the allergens in poplar pollen and proteins in some plant products, there is often a link between poplar tree allergies and a condition known as oral allergy syndrome.

Remember that it is usually the non-flowering trees that have smaller, lighter pollen and are more likely to cause more severe allergies.
 

Eucalyptus Tree

The Eucalyptus Tree is a wonderful tree for your yard if you don't mind the allergens. 

We recently had a comment on the Facebook page about someone's allergies being Eucalyptus so I decided to learn more about this strange tree.
Often when we hear Eucalyptus we think about the smell or the Koala Bear. Both are reasonable.

This type of Eucalyptus Tree is found in Australia.

In the United States there are several different versions of Eucalyptus offered. I am most familiar with the Silver Dollar because it is widely used to embellish floral arrangement. I think it is beautiful and I love the smell of Eucalyptus. Many lotions, massage cremes and body oils use it as an enhancing scent.

This particular branch is from the Ceder Gum.

The Eucalyptus Tree is originally from Australia and New Guinea. There is apparently... if you didn't know... and argument on whether to allows tree farmers to increase the population of the Eucalyptus. 

The Pros of Eucalyptus Tree Farming:

• It is fast growing
• Fragrant like a flowering tree.
• Does not drop leaves seasonally
• Quickly reproduced cut or broken branches
• Natural flea and tick repellent
• Versatile to grow indoors or out
• Known to promote respiration and treat skin problems.

The Cons of Eucalyptus Tree Farming:

• It is not native to North America
• Its aggressive nature can over run native vegetation
• Peeling bark presents forest fire kindling
• Providing food and shelter for North American wildlife is unknown
• Are durable to cold and drought, they absorb twice as much ground water as native trees.

What Allergens can we expect from the Eucalyptus Tree?

LiveStrong reports that Eucalyptus present a very low airborne presence. The elude to the allergic reaction to Eucalyptus come more from the fragrance and less from the pollen.

For Allergena Fans, don't forget we make a formula for Fragrances as well as vegetative pollen.