| Agrimonia eupatoria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 ofagrimony that is often referred to ascommon agrimony,church steeples orsticklewort.
The wholeplant 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 thelanguage of flowers, agrimony means thankfulness or gratitude.[1]
Agrimonia eupatoria is a foodplant for thecaterpillars of thesnout mothEndotricha flammealis.
The common agrimony grows as adeciduous,perennialherbaceous plant and reached heights of up to 100 cm (39 in). Its roots are deeprhizomes, from which spring the stems. It is characterized by its typical serrated edgedpinnateleaves.[2]
The short-stemmed flowers appear from June to September, in long, spike-like,racemoseinflorescences. 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. Thehermaphrodite flower has fivefoldradial symmetry. There are fivesepals present . There are five yellow, roundedpetals.[2] The petals and the five to 20stamens rise above the tip of the flower cup . The two medium-sizedcarpels 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 ofPliny the Elder. Common folklore held that it could curemusket wounds by being brewed into"arquebusade water," and ward offwitchcraft.[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 attracthoverflies,flies andhoney bees. They also are an important food source for butterflies like thegrizzled skipper.[8] The pollinated flowers develop fruits with burs. These attach to passing grazing animals, such as cattle, sheep and deer, and aredispersed over a large area.[2]
Agrimony is found usually in younggrasslands, less than 50 years old.[9] It is a wild host for a few insect pest species (Stigmella fragariella andCoroebus elatus) that feed on loganberries, raspberries, and strawberries in Europe.[10]
The plant containsvolatile oils,flavonoids,apigenin,luteolin,quercetin,kaempferol, tiliroside,triterpeneglycosides, including euscaphic acid and tormentic acid,phenolic acids, and 3%–21%tannins.[11]
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Media related toAgrimonia eupatoria at Wikimedia Commons