''Aphanes'' (parsley-piert) is a genus of around 20 species in the rose 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 ...

), native to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. A 2003 study indicated that ''Aphanes'' may belong to the genus ''

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 herb ...

'', commonly called lady's-mantle. They are slender, annual prostrate

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s, much-branched with deeply lobed

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 ...

, pilose (covered with soft hair) and on short petioles. The tiny green to yellow

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s without

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 grow in clusters in the denticulate leaflike

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s. Species include: *'' Aphanes andicola'' Rothm. *''

Aphanes arvensis ''Alchemilla arvensis'' (syn. ''Aphanes arvensis''), known as parsley-piert, is a sprawling, downy plant common all over the British Isles where It grows on arable fields and bare wastelands, particularly in dry sites. The short-stalked leaves h ...

'' L. – field parsley-piert, western lady's-mantle, parsley breakstone *'' Aphanes australiana'' – Australian piert *'' Aphanes cotopaxiensis'' Romoleroux & Frost-Olsen *'' Aphanes cuneifolia'' (Nutt.) Rydb. *'' Aphanes looseri'' Rothm. *'' Aphanes microcarpa'' (Boiss. & Reut.) Rothm. ( syn. ''A. australis'', ''A. inexpectata'') – slender parsley-piert *'' Aphanes occidentalis'' (Nutt.) Rydb. – dew cup, lady's mantle

References

External links

* Rosaceae genera Demulcents {{Rosoideae-stub