Filipendula vulgaris

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Dropwort
Filipendula vulgaris - inflorescence - Kulna.jpg
Inflorescence
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Filipendula
Species:
F. vulgaris
Binomial name
Filipendula vulgaris
Synonyms [1]
List
    • Filipendula filipendula(L.) Voss
    • Filipendula hexapetalaGilib.
    • Filipendula hexapetalaGilib. ex Maxim.
    • Filipendula pubescens(DC.) Fourr.
    • Filipendula vulgarisHill
    • Spiraea filipendulaL.
    • Spiraea giganteaGand.
    • Spiraea noeanaGand.
    • Spiraea pubescensDC.
    • Spiraea tuberosaSalisb.
    • Spiraea vulgaris(Moench) Gray
    • Ulmaria filipendula(L.) A.Braun ex Asch.
    • Ulmaria filipendula(L.) Hill
    • Ulmaria filipendula(L.) Hill ex Focke

Filipendula vulgaris, commonly known as dropwort or fern-leaf dropwort, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae, closely related to meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria). It is found in dry pastures across much of Europe and central and northern Asia, mostly on lime.

Contents

The crushed leaves and roots have a scent of the oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate).

Taxonomy and naming

The genus name Filipendula comes from Latin filum ("thread") and pendulus ("hanging") in reference to the root tubers that hang from the roots in some species. The specific epithet vulgaris means "common". The English name "dropwort" comes from the tubers that hang like drops from the root.

Description

It has finely-cut, fern-like radical leaves which form a basal rosette, and an erect stem 20–50 centimetres (8–20 in) tall [2] bearing a loose terminal inflorescence of small creamy white flowers. The flowers appear in dense clusters from late spring to midsummer atop sparsely leafed stems about 30 cm tall.

This plant prefers full sun or partial shade. It is more tolerant of dry conditions than most other members of its genus. It is a perennial of chalk and limestone downs and on heaths on other basic rocks.

Cultivation

Propagation is by seed and the division of the creeping roots. The tuberous roots and young leaves can be cooked as a vegetable or eaten raw as a salad. The taste is bitter sweet. The mature leaves smell of oil of wintergreen when crushed, due to the release of methyl salicylate. [3]

Related Research Articles

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Filipendula ulmaria, commonly known as meadowsweet or mead wort, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae that grows in damp meadows. It is native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia. It has been introduced and naturalised in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovage</span> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Filipendula</i> Genus of plants

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<i>Oenanthe crocata</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Oenanthe fluviatilis</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Oenanthe lachenalii</i> Species of flowering plant

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References

  1. The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species , retrieved 22 May 2016
  2. C. A. Stace, Interactive Flora of the British Isles, a Digital Encyclopaedia: Filipendula vulgaris. ISBN   90-75000-69-3. (Online version) Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Dropwort Wildflower finder UK, RW Darlington. Accessed July 2013