Meadowsweet
How To ID Me And What I’m Good For?
My ID Features:
Flowers
Leaves
Unopened flowers
Beautiful. The flowers aren't bad either ;)
Meadowsweet
Latin Name - Filipendula ulmaria.
Common Names - Meadowsweet, Queen Of The Meadow, Pride Of The Meadow, Meadow Wort, Meadow Queen, Lady Of The Meadow, Dollof, Meadsweet, Bridewort.
Family - Rosaceae.
Season - Spring (leaves) & Summer (flowers).
Edible bits - Flowers & Leaves.
Habitat - Growing alongside waterways in fields, damp meadows & riverbanks.
Possible Confusion - Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris). Although this is regarded as edible. It's rather astringent and considered a famine food. Caution should be taken as it grows alongside deadly umbellifers like hemlock.
Description - A choice summer edible with its sweet almond/vanilla like scent. The leaves are incredibly strong, but we've found them great for infusing into yogurts or other dairy products. The flowers are the real star of the show. We've found them practically anywhere there is running water.
Physical Characteristics - The stems, growing up to 1–2 m tall are reddish. The leaves are dark-green on the upper side and whitish and silvery underneath, divided, interruptedly pinnate (leaflets arranged on either side of the stem), 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 and creamy-white flowers that are clustered close together, having a very strong, sweet smell reminiscent of antiseptic. They flower from early summer to early autumn and are visited by various types of insects.
The flowers are small and numerous, they show 5 sepals and 5 petals with 7 - 20 stamens.
Medicinal Qualities - A forerunner to aspirin. Meadowsweet has been used for colds, bronchitis, upset stomach, heartburn & gout. It is also used to increase urine output and kill germs in the urine of people with bladder infections.
Harvesting Sustainability - Harvest a small amount from each plant to ensure further growth.
Never munch on a hunch! Volf takes no responsibility for anything consumed.