Ulmaria Palustris
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''Filipendula ulmaria'', commonly known as meadowsweet or mead wort, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family
Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are ''Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbus ...
that grows in damp meadows. It is native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia (Near east and Middle east). It has been introduced and naturalised in North America. Meadowsweet has also been referred to as queen of the meadow, pride of the meadow, meadow-wort, meadow queen, lady of the meadow, dollof, meadsweet, and bridewort.


Description

The stems, growing up to 120 cm, are tall, erect and furrowed, reddish to sometimes purple. The
leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are dark-green on the upper side and whitish and downy underneath, much divided, interruptedly pinnate, having a few large serrate leaflets and small intermediate ones. Terminal leaflets are large, 4–8 cm long, and three- to five-lobed. Meadowsweet has delicate, graceful, creamy-white flowers clustered close together in irregularly-branched
cymes An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed on ...
, having a very strong, sweet smell redolent of antiseptic. They flower from early summer to early autumn and are visited by various types of insects, in particular '' Musca'' flies. The flowers are small and numerous, they show 5 sepals and 5
petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
s with 7 to 20 stamens.Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. ''Webb's An Irish Flora''. Cork University Press.


Diseases

Many insects and fungi cause disease in meadowsweet. Meadowsweet leaves are commonly galled by the bright orange-rust fungus ''
Triphragmium ulmariae ''Triphragmium ulmariae'' is a species of rust fungus in the family Sphaerophragmiaceae. It causes meadowsweet rust gall, which develops as a chemically induced swelling, arising from the lower surface of the meadowsweet (''Filipendula ulmaria' ...
'', which creates swellings and distortions on the stalk and/or midrib. The fungus '' Ramularia ulmariae'' causes purple blotches on the leaves. The fungus ''
Podosphaera filipendulae ''Podosphaera filipendulae'' is a fungal species that belongs to the genus ''Podosphaera'' and the order Erysiphaceae. It was first described with meadowsweet (''Filipendula ulmaria'') as the host plant. ''Podosphaera filipendulae'' is morpholo ...
'' causes mildew on the leaves and flower heads, coating them with a white powder. The midge ''
Dasineura ulmariae ''Dasineura'' is a genus of midges in the family Cecidomyiidae, some of which cause galls on plants such as '' Dasineura crataegi'' on hawthorn (''Crataegus monogyna'') and '' Dasineura fraxinea'' on ash (''Fraxinus excelsior ''Fraxinus excel ...
'' causes pinkish-white galls on the leaves that can distort the leaf surface.


Etymology

The English common name meadowsweet dates from the 16th century. It did not originally mean 'sweet plant of the meadow', but a plant used for sweetening or flavouring mead. An earlier common name dating from the 15th century was 'meadsweet' Meadowsweet is known by many other names. In Chaucer's ''The Knight's Tale'' it is known as meadwort and was one of the ingredients in a drink called "save".Mount T. 2015. ''Dragon Blood & Willow Bark. The Mysteries of Medieval Medicine''. Amberley Publishing Limited It was also known as bridewort, because it was strewn in churches for festivals and weddings, and often made into bridal garlands. In Europe, it took its name "queen of the meadow" for the way it can dominate a low-lying, damp meadow. The
specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
ulmaria means "elmlike", possibly in reference to its individual leaves which resemble those of the elm (''Ulmus''). The generic name, ''Filipendula'', comes from ''filum'', meaning "thread" and ''pendulus'', meaning "hanging". This is said to describe the slender attachment of root tubers, which hang characteristically on the genus, on fibrous roots.


Synonyms

''Filipendula denudata'' (J.Presl & C.Presl) Fritsch


Distribution

Meadowsweet is common throughout the British Isles in damp areas and is dominant in fens and wet woods. ''Juncus subnodulosus''-''Cirsium palustre'' fen-meadow and
Purple moor grass and rush pastures Purple moor grass and rush pastures is a type of Biodiversity Action Plan habitat in the UK. It occurs on poorly drained neutral and acidic soils of the lowlands and upland fringe. It is found in the South West of England, especially in Devon ...
BAP habitat plant associations of Western Europe consistently include this plant.


Uses

The whole herb possesses a pleasant taste and flavour, the green parts having a similar aromatic character to the flowers, hence the use of the plant as a
strewing herb Strewing herbs are certain kinds of plants that are scattered (strewn) over the floors of dwelling places and other buildings. Such plants usually have fragrant or astringent smells, and many also serve as insecticides or disinfectants. Their use ...
, strewn on floors to give the rooms a pleasant aroma, and its use to flavour wine, beer, and many kinds of vinegar. The flowers can be added to stewed fruit and jams, giving them a subtle almond flavour. Some foragers also use the flowers to flavour desserts such as panna cotta. It has many medicinal properties. The whole plant is a traditional remedy for an acidic stomach, and the fresh root is often used in homeopathic preparations. The dried flowers are used in potpourri. It is also a frequently used spice in Scandinavian varieties of
mead Mead () is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%. The defining character ...
. Chemical constituents include
salicin Salicin is an alcoholic β-glucoside. Salicin is produced in (and named after) willow (''Salix'') bark. It is a biosynthetic precursor to salicylaldehyde. Medicinal aspects Salicin is found in the bark of and leaves of willows, poplars and va ...
,
flavone Flavone is an organic compound with the formula . A white solid, flavone is a derivative of chromone with a phenyl (Ph) substituent adjacent to the ether group. The compound is of little direct practical importance, but susbstituted derivatives, t ...
glycosides,
essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...
s, and tannins. In 1838,
Raffaele Piria Raffaele Piria (Scilla 20 August 1814 – Turin 18 July 1865) was an Italian chemist from Scilla, who lived in Palmi. He converted the substance Salicin into a sugar and a second component, which on oxidation becomes salicylic acid, a major comp ...
obtained
salicylic acid Salicylic acid is an organic compound with the formula HOC6H4CO2H. A colorless, bitter-tasting solid, it is a precursor to and a metabolite of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). It is a plant hormone, and has been listed by the EPA Toxic Substance ...
from the buds of meadowsweet. Thereafter in 1899, scientists at the firm
Bayer Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of busi ...
used
salicylic acid Salicylic acid is an organic compound with the formula HOC6H4CO2H. A colorless, bitter-tasting solid, it is a precursor to and a metabolite of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). It is a plant hormone, and has been listed by the EPA Toxic Substance ...
derived from meadowsweet to synthesise acetylsalicylic acid ( aspirin), which was named after the old botanical name for meadowsweet, ''Spiraea ulmaria''. The name then became aspirin. A natural black dye can be obtained from the roots by using a copper mordant. A tea made from ''Filipendula ulmaria'' flowers or leaves has been used in traditional Austrian herbal medicine for the treatment of rheumatism, gout, infections, and fever.


Culture

White-flowered meadowsweet has been found with the cremated remains of three people and at least one animal in a Bronze Age
cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...
at
Fan Foel Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...
, Carmarthenshire. Similar finds have also been found inside a beaker from Ashgrove,
Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
, and a vessel from
North Mains North Mains is a henge in Strathearn on Strathallan Estate between Crieff and Auchterarder in Perthshire, Scotland (not in the valley known as Strathallan). It was excavated in 1979 and the final report was published in 1983. Like most henges Nort ...
, Strathallan. These could indicate honey-based
mead Mead () is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%. The defining character ...
or flavoured ale, or might suggest that the plant was placed on the grave as a scented flower.M. Pitts (2006). Meadowsweet flowers in prehistoric graves. ''British Archaeology'' 88 (May/June): 6 In Welsh mythology, Gwydion and
Math Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
created a woman out of oak blossom, broom, and meadowsweet and named her Blodeuwedd ("flower face"). In the 16th century, when it was customary to strew floors with rushes and herbs (both to give warmth underfoot and to overcome smells and infections), it was a favorite of Elizabeth I of England. She desired it above all other herbs in her chambers.


References

*


External links


Purple Sage Medicinal Herbs, entry for Meadowsweet
{{Taxonbar, from=Q147176 ulmaria Herbs Flora of Western Asia Flora of Estonia Flora of the United Kingdom Medicinal plants of Asia Medicinal plants of Europe Plant dyes Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus