Agrimonia eupatoria

Last updated

Common agrimony
Illustration Agrimonia eupatoria0.jpg
Agrimonia eupatoria
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Agrimonia
Species:
A. eupatoria
Binomial name
Agrimonia eupatoria
L.

Agrimonia eupatoria is a species of agrimony that is often referred to as common agrimony, church steeples or sticklewort.

Contents

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 .

Description

Agrimonia eupatoria flower from June to September Agrimonia eupatoria - Keila.jpg
Agrimonia eupatoria flower from June to September
the hooked, burr-like seed heads, helping dispersal as they attach to passing animals Agrimonia eupatoria02.jpg
the hooked, burr-like seed heads, helping dispersal as they attach to passing animals

Vegetative characteristics

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]

Generative characteristics

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 - it is also cultivated in other parts of the world for medical purposes. [4]

In folklore

Agrimony has been stated to have medical and magical properties since the time of Pliny the Elder. It is ruled astrologically by Cancer, according to Nicholas Culpeper. Common folklore held that it could cure musket wounds by being brewed into "arquebusade water," [5] [6] and ward off witchcraft.

Traditional British folklore states that if a sprig of the plant was placed under a person's head, they would sleep until it was removed. [7]

Fruits Agrimonia eupatoria MHNT.BOT.2004.0.jpg
Fruits

Ecology

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 spread 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]

Chemistry

Contains volatile oils, flavonoids, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol, tiliroside, triterpene glycosides including euscaphic acid and tormentic acid, phenolic acids, and 3%–21% tannins. [11]

Notes

  1. "Agrimony Wildflowers". Archived from the original on 2013-12-26.
  2. 1 2 3 Grieve, Mrs M. "Agrimony". A Modern Herbal. Botanical.com. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
  3. "Agrimony | plant".
  4. 1 2 Vít Bojnanský; Agáta Fargašová (17 September 2007). Atlas of Seeds and Fruits of Central and East-European Flora: The Carpathian Mountains Region. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 273–. ISBN   978-1-4020-5362-7.
  5. Tobyn, Graeme; Denham, Alison; Whitelegg, Margaret (2011-01-01), Tobyn, Graeme; Denham, Alison; Whitelegg, Margaret (eds.), "CHAPTER 6 - Agrimonia eupatoria, agrimony", Medical Herbs, Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, pp. 47–55, doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-10344-5.00011-2, ISBN   978-0-443-10344-5 , retrieved 2022-06-23
  6. Fernie, William Thomas (1895). Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure.
  7. Encyclopedia of Folk Medicine: Old World and New World Traditions By Gabrielle Hatfield, p.310
  8. Streitberger, Merle; Fartmann, Thomas (2013-01-01). "Molehills as important larval habitats for the grizzled skipper, Pyrgus malvae (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), in calcareous grasslands" (PDF). European Journal of Entomology. 110 (4): 643–648. doi: 10.14411/eje.2013.087 . ISSN   1210-5759.
  9. M. Ingrouille, Historical Ecology of the British Flora, p219
  10. David V Alford (27 February 2007). Pests of Fruit Crops: A Colour Handbook. CRC Press. pp. 198–. ISBN   978-1-84076-501-4.
  11. Frances Watkins; Barbara Pendry; Alberto Sanchez-Medina; Olivia Corcoran (2012). "Antimicrobial assays of three native British plants used in Anglo-Saxon medicine for wound healing formulations in 10th century England Original Research Article Pages 408-415" (PDF). Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 144 (2): 225–456. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2012.09.031. PMID   23026307.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fruit</span> Seed-bearing part of a flowering plant

In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose</span> Genus of plants

A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae, or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be erect shrubs, climbing, or trailing, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Their flowers vary in size and shape and are usually large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows and reds. Most species are native to Asia, with smaller numbers native to Europe, North America, and northwestern Africa. Species, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and often are fragrant. Roses have acquired cultural significance in many societies. Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach seven meters in height. Different species hybridize easily, and this has been used in the development of the wide range of garden roses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caraway</span> Type of spice

Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin, is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa.

<i>Potentilla</i> Genus of flowering plants in the rose family Rosaceae

Potentilla is a genus containing over 300 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae.

<i>Potentilla erecta</i> Species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae

Potentilla erecta is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the rose family (Rosaceae).

<i>Rhinanthus minor</i> Species of flowering plant in the broomrape family Orobanchaceae

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.

<i>Agrimonia</i> Genus of flowering plants in Rosaceae family

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.

<i>Pyrgus malvae</i> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calyceraceae</span> Family of flowering plants

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberthür's grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper is a species of skipper.

<i>Fumaria officinalis</i> Species of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae

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.

<i>Lantana camara</i> Species of plant

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 more than 1,400 metres in altitude.

<i>Hypericum androsaemum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

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 clusters of fruit which are large compared to other members of Hypericum. As such, various cultivars of the species have been bred which amplify its desirable characteristics. These include cultivars like 'Albury Purple' and 'Golden Tutsan' which have leaves with more pronounced purple and golden coloring, respectively.

<i>Galium aparine</i> Species of flowering plant

Galium aparine, with common names including cleavers, clivers, catchweed "robin-run-the-hedge", and sticky willy among others, is an annual, herbaceous plant of the family Rubiaceae.

<i>Agrimonia parviflora</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Pyrgus malvoides</i> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

Pyrgus malvoides, the Southern Grizzled Skipper, is a species of skipper.

<i>Agrimonia gryposepala</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Larrea divaricata</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Agrimonia pubescens</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Agrimonia procera</i> Species of flowering plant

Agrimonia procera is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Rosaceae.

References

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Agrimonia eupatoria at Wikimedia Commons