Agrimonia

Agrimonia
File:Agrimonia-eupatoria.JPG
Agrimonia eupatoria
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Subfamily:	Rosoideae
Tribe:	Sanguisorbeae
Subtribe:	Agrimoniinae
Genus:	Agrimonia Tourn. ex L.
Species
About 15 species; see text

Agrimonia (from the Greek ἀργεμώνη), commonly known as agrimony, is a genus of 12–15 species of perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with one species also in Africa. The species grow to between .5–2 m (1.6–6.6 ft) tall, with interrupted pinnate leaves, and tiny yellow flowers borne on a single (usually unbranched) spike.

Agrimonia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera 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 – 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 the ancient times, it was used for foot baths and tired feet. Agrimony has a long history of medicinal use. The English poet Michael Drayton 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. Anglo-Saxons made a solution from the leaves and seeds for healing wounds; this use continued through the Middle Ages and afterward, in a preparation called eau d'arquebusade, or "musket-shot water". It can has been added to tea as a spring tonic. In the traditional Austrian medicine the herb has been used internally as tea for disorders related to the liver and bile, gastrointestinal, and respiratory tract. Agrimonia has been listed as one of the 38 plants that are used to prepare Bach flower remedies. According to Cancer Research UK, essences are not used to treat medical conditions.

Folklore

Although the plant has no idiopathic properties, tradition holds that when placed under a person's head, agrimony will induce a deep sleep that will last until removed.

See also

• Aremonia agrimonioides (Bastard-agrimony, of the related genus Aremonia)
• Eupatorium cannabinum (Hemp-agrimony)

References

• Eriksson, Torsten; Malin S. Hibbs, Anne D. Yoder, Charles F. Delwiche, Michael J. Donoghue (2003). The Phylogeny of Rosoideae (Rosaceae) Based on Sequences of the Internal Transcribed Spacers (ITS) of Nuclear Ribosomal DNA and the TRNL/F Region of Chloroplast DNA. International Journal of Plant Science 164(2):197–211. 2003. (PDF version)

External links

• Agrimonia at the Encyclopedia of Life