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Agrimonia eupatoria - L.                  
                   
Common Name Agrimony
Family Rosaceae
Synonyms A. odorata.
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Fields, stone walls, waste ground and roadside verges[7, 17], usually on alkaline soils[200], preferring sunny positions[165].
Range Most of Europe, including Britain, south to N. Africa and east to Iran.
Edibility Rating  
Medicinal Rating  
Care
Well drained soil Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun

Summary        

Physical Characteristics        
 icon of manicon of flower
PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in).
It is not frost tender. It is in flower from Jun to August, and the seeds ripen from Aug to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, self.The plant is self-fertile.


The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. and can grow in very alkaline soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.It requires dry or moist soil.




http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pethan
  
Habitats        
 Meadow; Hedgerow; East Wall. In.
Edible Uses                                          
Edible Parts: Seed.

A refreshing tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves, flowers and stems[2, 183]. It can be drunk hot or cold[183]. It was formerly very popular either on its own or added to China tea, having a peculiar delicacy and aroma[4]. Seed - dried and ground into a meal. A famine food, used when all else fails[179]. This report could refer to A. pilosa. Ledeb. (q.v.).
Medicinal Uses


Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antiaphonic;  Astringent;  Bach;  Blood purifier;  Cholagogue;  Diuretic;  Hepatic;  Skin;  Tonic;  Vulnerary.

Agrimony has long been used as a popular domestic herbal remedy[4]. An astringent and mildly bitter herb, it is a helpful remedy for diarrhoea and a gentle tonic for the digestion as a whole[254]. The whole plant is antiaphonic, astringent, blood purifier, cholagogue, diuretic, tonic and vulnerary. It contains up to 5% tannin, which has a strongly astringent effect[244]. When taken internally, an infusion of the plant has a great reputation in the treatment of jaundice and other complaints of the liver[4, 7, 9, 13, 14, 21, 165], it is also used to treat diarrhoea and as a gargle for sore throats[244]. Externally, a strong decoction is used to treat wounds, skin problems, haemorrhoids etc[4, 7, 238, 244]. The plant is harvested in late spring and early summer and can be dried for later use[9]. The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Mental torture' and 'Worry, concealed from others'[209].
Other Uses
Dye.

A yellow dye is obtained from the root[1, 24, 57] - from whole plant according to other report,[4, 46] - and from the leaves according to another[148]. Harvested in autumn[115], the yellow becomes deeper the later that the plant is harvested[4].
Cultivation details                                          
Easily grown in most soils[133, 200], preferring a calcareous soil[13]. Thrives in a dry lightly shaded position[14], though it prefers full sun[238]. Plants usually self-sow quite freely when growing in a suitable position[238]. The seeds are contained in burrs that can easily attach themselves to clothing or animal's fur, thus transporting them to a new area where they can germinate and grow[244]. The cultivar 'Sweet scented' is popular in France for making tea because the whole plant is sweet scented and the flowers have a spicy apricot-like fragrance[183].
                                                                                   
Propagation                                          
Seed - can be sown in spring or autumn, either in pots in a cold frame or in situ. It usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 13°c[133], though germination rates can be low, especially if the seed has been stored[244]. A period of cold stratification helps but is not essential. When grown in pots, prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring or early summer. Division in autumn[200]. Very easy, the divisions can be planted straight out into their permanent positions.
Expert comment                                          
 
       
Author                                          
L.
                                                                                   
Botanical References                                          
17200
                                                                                   
Links / References                                          

[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[2]Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[13]Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants.
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
[14]Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs.
A good herbal.
[17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[24]Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.
Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.
[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[57]Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.
[115]Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.
[133]Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1.
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
[148]Niebuhr. A. D. Herbs of Greece.
A pleasant little book about Greek herbs.
[165]Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[179]Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao.
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.
[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[209]Chancellor. P. M. Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies
Details the 38 remedies plus how and where to prescribe them.
[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[244]Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.
[254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers comment                                          
 
Elizabeth H.
Tom Dunbar Mon Jan 23 2006
Larval foodplant of the Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae) butterfly.
Elizabeth H.
Marinella Zepigi Pessina Sun Oct 29 2006

Il Forum dei Funghi e Fiori in Italia - Micologia e Botanica scheda

Elizabeth H.
Marinella Zepigi Mon Jun 9 2008

Acta plantarum forum botanico Agrimonia eupatoria L.- Description, Photos

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Subject : Agrimonia eupatoria  
               

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