Common agrimony | |
---|---|
Agrimonia eupatoria | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Rosaceae |
Genus: | Agrimonia |
Species: | A. eupatoria |
Binomial name | |
Agrimonia eupatoria | |
Agrimonia eupatoria is a species of agrimony that is often referred to as common agrimony, church steeples or sticklewort.
The whole plant is dark green with numerous soft hairs. The soft hairs aid in the plant's seed pods sticking to any animal or person coming in contact with the plant. The flower spikes have a spicy odor like apricots. In the language of flowers, agrimony means thankfulness or gratitude. [1]
A. eupatoria is a foodplant for the caterpillars of the snout moth Endotricha flammealis .
The common agrimony grows as a deciduous, perennial herbaceous plant and reached heights of up to 100 cm (39 in). Its roots are deep rhizomes, from which spring the stems. It is characterized by its typical serrated edged pinnate leaves. [2]
The short-stemmed flowers appear from June to September, in long, spike-like, racemose inflorescences. The single flower has an urn-shaped curved flower cup, the upper edge has several rows of soft, curved hook-shaped bristles, 1–4 mm (0.039–0.157 in) long. The hermaphrodite flower has fivefold radial symmetry. There are five sepals present . There are five yellow, rounded petals. [2] The petals and the five to 20 stamens rise above the tip of the flower cup . The two medium-sized carpels in the flower cups are sunk into, but not fused with it. The fruits are achenes approximately 0.6 cm (0.2 inch) in diameter and each have a number of hooks that enable it to cling to animal fur and clothing. [3] Each achene may have one or two seeds. [4]
Agrimonia eupatoria is native to Europe and Southwestern Asia, where it grows in damp meadows, pasture, along stream banks, and among shrubs. [4]
Agrimony has been supposed to have magical, medical properties since the time of Pliny the Elder. Common folklore held that it could cure musket wounds by being brewed into "arquebusade water," and ward off witchcraft. [5] [6]
Traditional British folklore states that if a sprig of the plant was placed under a person's head, sleep would persist until it was removed. [7] [ better source needed ]
The flowers with their abundant pollen supply attract hoverflies, flies and honey bees. They also are an important food source for butterflies like the grizzled skipper. [8] The pollinated flowers develop fruits with burs. These attach to passing grazing animals, such as cattle, sheep and deer, and are dispersed over a large area. [2]
Agrimony is found usually in young grasslands, less than 50 years old. [9] It is a wild host for a few insect pest species ( Stigmella fragariella and Coroebus elatus) that feed on loganberries, raspberries, and strawberries in Europe. [10]
The plant contains volatile oils, flavonoids, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol, tiliroside, triterpene glycosides, including euscaphic acid and tormentic acid, phenolic acids, and 3%–21% tannins. [11]
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
The rose hip or rosehip, also called rose haw and rose hep, is the accessory fruit of the various species of rose plant. It is typically red to orange, but ranges from dark purple to black in some species. Rose hips begin to form after pollination of flowers in spring or early summer, and ripen in late summer through autumn.
Potentilla is a genus containing over 500 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae.
Viola tricolor is a common European wild flower, growing as an annual or short-lived perennial. The species is also known as wild pansy, Johnny Jump up, heartsease, heart's ease, heart's delight, tickle-my-fancy, Jack-jump-up-and-kiss-me, come-and-cuddle-me, three faces in a hood, love-in-idleness, and pink of my john.
Rhinanthus minor, known as yellow rattle, is a herbaceous wildflower in the genus Rhinanthus in the family Orobanchaceae. It has circumpolar distribution in Europe, Russia, western Asia, and northern North America. An annual plant, yellow rattle grows up to 10–50 centimetres (3.9–19.7 in) tall, with upright stems and opposite, simple leaves. The fruit is a dry capsule, with loose, rattling seeds.
Althaea officinalis, the marsh mallow or marshmallow, is a species of flowering plant indigenous to Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, which is used in herbalism and as an ornamental plant. A confection made from the root since ancient Egyptian times evolved into today's marshmallow treat, but most modern marshmallow treats no longer contain any marsh-mallow root.
Agrimonia, commonly known as agrimony, is a genus of 12–15 species of perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with one species also in Africa. The species grow to between 0.5–2 m (1.6–6.6 ft) tall, with interrupted pinnate leaves, and tiny yellow flowers borne on a single spike.
Pyrgus malvae, the grizzled skipper, is a butterfly species from the family Hesperiidae. It is a small skipper (butterfly) with a chequered pattern on its wings that appears to be black and white. This butterfly can be found throughout Europe and is common in central and southern regions of England. The butterfly prefers three major types of habitat: woodland, grassland, and industrial. Referenced as a superspecies, Pyrgus malvae includes three semispecies: malvae, malvoides, and melotis. Eggs are laid on plants that will provide warmth and proper nutrition for development. As larvae, their movement is usually restricted to a single plant, on which they will build tents, unless they move onto a second host plant. Larvae then spin cocoons, usually on the last host plant they have occupied, where they remain until spring. Upon emerging as adult butterflies, grizzled skippers are quite active during the day and tend to favour blue or violet-coloured plants for food. They also possess multiple methods of communication; for example, vibrations are used to communicate with ants, and chemical secretions play a role in mating. Exhibiting territorial behaviour, males apply perching and patrolling strategies to mate with a desired female.
Calyceraceae is a plant family in the order Asterales. The natural distribution of the about sixty species belonging to this family is restricted to the southern half of South America. The species of the family resemble both the family Asteraceae and the Dipsacaceae.
Oberthür's grizzled skipper is a species of skipper.
Fumaria officinalis, the common fumitory, drug fumitory or earth smoke, is a herbaceous annual flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae. It is the most common species of the genus Fumaria in Western and Central Europe.
Lantana camara is a species of flowering plant within the verbena family (Verbenaceae), native to the American tropics. It is a very adaptable species, which can inhabit a wide variety of ecosystems; once it has been introduced into a habitat it spreads rapidly; between 45ºN and 45ºS and less than 1,400 metres in altitude.
Hypericum androsaemum, the shrubby St. John's wort, is a flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. Commonly called tutsan or sweet-amber, the species is cultivated as an ornamental plant because of its striking red-tinted foliage, bright yellow petals, and its large clusters of fruit. Cultivars like 'Albury Purple' and 'Golden Tutsan' which have leaves with more pronounced purple and golden coloring, respectively.
Galium aparine, with common names including cleavers, clivers, catchweed, robin-run-the-hedge, goosegrass,and sticky willy, is an annual, herbaceous plant of the family Rubiaceae.
Agrimonia parviflora is a species of perennial herbaceous flowering plant. Small-flowered agrimony, harvestlice agrimony, swamp agrimony, and harvestlice are its most common names in the United States.
Pyrgus malvoides, the Southern Grizzled Skipper, is a species of skipper.
Agrimonia gryposepala is a small perennial flowering plant of the rose family (Rosaceae), which is native to North America. This plant was used by various indigenous peoples to treat medical problems such as diarrhea and fever.
Larrea divaricata, commonly known as chaparral, is a small evergreen bush in the family Zygophyllaceae. It is native to arid regions of South America, where it is known as jarilla or jarillo. It was first described in 1800 by the Spanish botanist Antonio José Cavanilles.
Agrimonia pubescens, the soft agrimony or downy agrimony, is a flowering plant in the genus Agrimonia, a member of the rose family. It grows in dry areas and woodlands.
Agrimonia procera is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Rosaceae.
Media related to Agrimonia eupatoria at Wikimedia Commons