Images: ©Jouko Lehmuskallio
Agrimony
Agrimonia eupatoria
- Family: Rose Family – Rosaceae
- Height: 30–100 cm (12–40 in.)
- Flower: Fairly small, diameter ca. 10 mm (0.4 in.), regular, fragrant. Calyx-lobes five hairy. Petals five, yellow, with usually rounded tip. Stamens ten to twelve. Carpels two, free. Flowers borne in long spikes.
- Leaves: Alternate. Basal leaves in a tuft, odd-pinnate. Leaflets 3 to 13, elliptic, large-toothed, hairy on both sides, with small lobed or almost entire leaflets in between. Stem leaves smaller.
- Fruit: A grooved enlarged, 7–10 mm long receptacle containing one or two achenes, and covered with hooked hairs.
- Habitat: Dryish meadows, coppices, waysides. Often on calcareous soils.
- Flowering time: July–August.
The species in the genus Agrimonia are tall, hairy, rhizomatous perennials. They somewhat resemble species of Filipendula (meadowsweet etc.), e.g. the leaves and floral structures are similar, but for instance the inflorescences are different. The genus comprises 15 species of temperate regions. The common agrimony is a species of the Central European temperate vegetation zone.
In Finland, agrimonia’s typical habitats are juniper meadows in the archipelago, rocky seashore scrub, and hillside hazel woods. The species has also been cultivated for medicinal use.
There are two other species of Agrimonia in Finland. The protected A. pilosa is rare in South Häme, and the fragrant agrimony (A. procera) is common in the Åland Islands and rare in Southwestern Finland. The difference between species can be found in fruits and especially in the length of grooves in them.
