The Tapestries - Metropolitan Museum of Art

The chuzne d'amour or love chain
that attaches the unicorn to the tree is
frequently mentioned in medieval
poetry to illustrate the gentleman's
devotion to his lady and his complete
subjection to her will. The tree itself
is extraordinary: itis sheerfantasy, resembling
no tree on earth, though its
fruits are clearly pomegranates. Some
are so ripe they have burst open,
displaying their abundant seeds. The
pomegranate is not only a symbol
of the afterlife but, as said earlier, of
fertility; thus it is significant that
some of the seeds with their red juice
have spilled onto the unicorn's milkwhite
body.
Silhouetted against the animal's
torso are bluebell blossoms and,
placed in a spot where it is especially
noticeable, a tall wild orchid. Supposedly
when a bluebell is suspended
above the threshold, "all evil things
will flee therefrom." The orchid had
unique powers: medieval herbalists
say "if a man eats the largest part
of the root he will beget a male child,"
and if "the lesser part" he will produce
a daughter.