''Agrimonia'' (from the Greek ), commonly known as agrimony, is a genus of 12–15 species of

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 ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...

, native to the temperate regions of the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

, with one species also in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. The species grow to between tall, with interrupted

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and ...

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

, and tiny yellow

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s borne on a single (usually unbranched) spike. ''Agrimonia'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species including grizzled skipper (recorded on ''A. eupatoria'') and large grizzled skipper.

Species

*'' Agrimonia eupatoria'' – Common agrimony (Europe, Asia, Africa) *'' Agrimonia gryposepala'' – Common agrimony, tall hairy agrimony (North America) *'' Agrimonia incisa'' – Incised agrimony (North America) *'' Agrimonia coreana'' – Korean agrimony (eastern Asia) *'' Agrimonia microcarpa'' – Smallfruit agrimony (North America) *'' Agrimonia nipponica'' – Japanese agrimony (eastern Asia) *'' Agrimonia parviflora'' – Harvestlice agrimony (North America) *'' Agrimonia pilosa'' – Hairy agrimony (eastern Europe, Asia) *''

Agrimonia procera ''Agrimonia procera'', the fragrant agrimony, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Rosaceae. It is native to Europe and Southern Africa. Description A herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant which grows to about 1 m tall ...

'' – Fragrant agrimony (Europe) *'' Agrimonia pubescens'' – Soft or downy agrimony (North America) *'' Agrimonia repens'' – Short agrimony (southwest Asia) *'' Agrimonia rostellata'' – Beaked agrimony (North America) *'' Agrimonia striata'' – Roadside agrimony (North America)

Uses

In ancient times, it was used for foot baths and tired feet. Agrimony has a long history of medicinal use. The English poet

Michael Drayton Michael Drayton ( – ) was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era, continuing to write through the reign of James I and into the reign of Charles I. Many of his works consisted of historical poetry. He was also the fir ...

once hailed it as an "all-heal" and through the ages it was considered a panacea. The ancient Greeks used agrimony to treat eye ailments, and it was made into brews for diarrhea and disorders of the gallbladder, liver, and kidneys. The Anglo-Saxons boiled agrimony in milk and used it to improve erectile performance. They also made a solution from the leaves and seeds for healing wounds; this use continued through the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

and afterward, in a preparation called ''eau d'arquebusade'', or "musket-shot water". It has been added to tea as a spring tonic. According to the German Federal Commission E (Phytotherapy)-Monograph "''Agrimony''", published 1990, the internal application area is "mild, nonspecific, acute diarrhea" and "inflammation of oral and pharyngeal mucosa" and the external application "mild, superficial inflammation of the skin".German Federal Commission E Monographs (Phytotherapy)
Monograph ''Agrimony'' (''Agrimoniae herba'')
Bundesanzeiger. March 13, 1990. – ''www.heilpflanzen-welt.de''.

Folklore

Traditional British folklore states that if a sprig of '' Agrimonia eupatoria'' was placed under a person's head, they would sleep until it was removed.''Encyclopedia of Folk Medicine: Old World and New World Traditions'' by Gabrielle Hatfield, p.310

References

External links

''Agrimonia'' L.
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Atlas of Living Australia The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) is an online repository of information about Australian plants, animals, and fungi. Development started in 2006. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an organisation sign ...

''
"Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria, pilosa, grysopetela and other species)"
��Herb Forum {{Taxonbar, from=Q264427 Agrimoniinae Medicinal plants Rosaceae genera Taxa named by Joseph Pitton de Tournefort

Species

Uses

Folklore

See also

References

External links