FILIPENDULA ULMARIA (L.) Maxim. – Meadowsweet

Syn.: Spiraea ulmaria L., Ulmaria palustris Moench, Ulmaria obtusiloba Opiz
Family: Rosaceae Juss.

Distribution: Europe, Asia Minor, Caucasus, Siberia, Altai, Mongolia, naturalized in Northern America.
Habitat: Grows in swamps, marches, fens, damp woods, from lowlands to foothills.
Description: Perennial herb with erect, branched stem, up to 200 cm high. The leaves are odd-pinnate with ovate leaflets, terminal one larger, three-lobed. The flowers are in a terminal, dense cymes, creamy-white, fragrant. Flowers from May to September.
Note: It has been used as a medicinal plant since ancient times and it remainds popular as a herbal remedy – acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin.


Photos: July 2005 (Czechia, Brno, river Svratka).