''Filipendula vulgaris'', commonly known as dropwort or fern-leaf dropwort, is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

plant in the family Rosaceae, closely related to meadowsweet (''Filipendula ulmaria''). It is found in Europe, western Siberia, Asia Minor, the Caucusus and North Africa. It prefers dry

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...

s, mostly on lime rich soils. The leaves and roots are a source of

methyl salicylate Methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen or wintergreen oil) is an organic compound with the formula C8H8O3. It is the methyl ester of salicylic acid. It is a colorless, viscous liquid with a sweet, fruity odor reminiscent of root beer (in which it ...

(oil of wintergreen).Dropwort
Wildflower finder UK, RW Darlington. Accessed July 2013

Taxonomy and naming

The

genus name Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial spec ...

''Filipendula'' comes from Latin ("thread") and ("hanging") in reference to the root tubers that hang from the roots in some species. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

''vulgaris'' means "common". The English name "dropwort" comes from the tubers that hang like drops from the root. The species was first described in the literature in 1794 by

Conrad Moench Conrad Moench (sometimes written Konrad Mönch; 15 August 1744 – 6 January 1805) was a German botanist, professor of botany at Marburg University from 1786 until his death. He wrote ''Methodus Plantas horti botanici et agri Marburgensis''; in ...

in ''Methodus Plantas''.

Description

It has finely-cut, fern-like radical leaves which form a basal rosette, and an erect stem tall C. A. Stace, ''Interactive Flora of the British Isles, a Digital Encyclopaedia'': ''Filipendula vulgaris''. .
Online version)
bearing a loose terminal

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

of small creamy white flowers. The flowers appear in dense clusters from late spring to midsummer atop sparsely leafed stems. The plant has an overall height of , achieved after 2–5 years, and a spread of around about . 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 Wintergreen is a group of aromatic plants. The term ''wintergreen'' once commonly referred to plants that remain green (continue photosynthesis) throughout the winter. The term ''evergreen'' is now more commonly used for this characteristic. ...

when crushed, due to the release of

. (MHNT) Filipendula vulgaris - Habit.jpg, Habitat 289 Filipendula hexapetala.jpg, Illustration showing tubers

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q148961 vulgaris Plants described in 1794 Taxa named by Conrad Moench