Alchemilla

''Alchemilla'' is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Rosaceae, with the common name lady's mantle applied generically as well as specifically to ''Alchemilla mollis'' when referred to as a garden plant. The plant used as a herbal tea or for medicinal usage such as gynaecological disorders is '' Alchemilla xanthochlora'' or in Middle Europe the so-called common lady's mantle '' Alchemilla vulgaris''. There are about 700 species, the majority native to cool temperate and subarctic regions of Europe and Asia, with a few species native to the mountains of Africa and the Americas.

Most species of ''Alchemilla'' are clump-forming or mounded perennials with basal leaves arising from woody rhizomes. Some species have leaves with lobes that radiate from a common point and others have divided leaves—both are typically fan-shaped with small teeth at the tips. The long-stalked, gray-green to green leaves are often covered with soft hairs, and show a high degree of water-resistance (see Lotus effect). Green to bright chartreuse flowers are small, have no petals and appear in clusters above the foliage in late spring and summer.

Selected species

*'' Alchemilla abyssinica''
*''Alchemilla alpina'' — alpine lady's mantle
*'' Alchemilla argyrophylla''
*'' Alchemilla barbatiflora''
*'' Alchemilla bursensis''
*'' Alchemilla conjuncta''
*'' Alchemilla diademata'' diadem lady's mantle
*'' Alchemilla ellenbeckii''
*'' Alchemilla erythropoda'' — dwarf lady's mantle
*'' Alchemilla filicaulis'' — thinstem lady's mantle
*'' Alchemilla flabellata'' — fan lady's mantle
*''Alchemilla glabra'' — smooth lady's mantle
*'' Alchemilla glaucescens'' — waxy lady's mantle
*'' Alchemilla glomerulans'' — clustered lady's mantle
*'' Alchemilla gracilis''
*''Alchemilla hungarica''
*'' Alchemilla japonica''
*''Alchemilla jaroschenkoi'' — holotrichous lady's mantle
*'' Alchemilla johnstonii''
*'' Alchemilla lapeyrousii'' — Lapeyrous' lady's mantle
*''Alchemilla mollis''
*''Alchemilla monticola'' — hairy lady's mantle
*'' Alchemilla orbiculata''
*'' Alchemilla sericata''
*'' Alchemilla splendens''
*''Alchemilla stricta''
*'' Alchemilla subcrenata'' — broadtooth lady's mantle
*'' Alchemilla stuhlmanii''
*'' Alchemilla subcrenata''
*'' Alchemilla subnivalis''
*'' Alchemilla triphylla''
*'' Alchemilla venosa'' — boreal lady's mantle
*'' Alchemilla vestita''
*'' Alchemilla vulgaris''
*'' Alchemilla wichurae'' — grassland lady's mantle
*'' Alchemilla xanthochlora''

References

{{Authority control

Alchemilla
Rosaceae genera