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 herbal tea or for medicinal usage such as gynaecological disorders is Alchemilla xanthochlora or in Middle Europe the so-called common lady's mantle Alchemilla vulgaris. There are between 800 and 1000 species, the majority native to cool temperate and subarctic regions of Europe and Asia, with a few species native to the mountains of Africa and the Americas.
Most species of Alchemilla are clump-forming or mounded perennials with basal leaves arising from woody rhizomes. Some species have leaves with lobes that radiate from a common point and others have divided leaves—both are typically fan-shaped with small teeth at the tips. The long-stalked, gray-green to green leaves are often covered with soft hairs, and show a high degree of water-resistance (see Lotus effect). Green to bright chartreuse flowers are small, have no petals and appear in clusters above the foliage in late spring and summer.
Selected species
Alchemilla abyssinica Alchemilla alpina — alpine lady's mantle Alchemilla argyrophylla Alchemilla barbatiflora Alchemilla bursensis Alchemilla conjuncta Alchemilla diademata diadem lady's mantle Alchemilla ellenbeckii Alchemilla erythropoda — dwarf lady's mantle Alchemilla filicaulis — thinstem lady's mantle Alchemilla flabellata — fan lady's mantle Alchemilla glabra — smooth lady's mantle Alchemilla glaucescens — waxy lady's mantle Alchemilla glomerulans — clustered lady's mantle Alchemilla gracilis Alchemilla hungarica Alchemilla japonica Alchemilla jaroschenkoi — holotrichous lady's mantle Alchemilla johnstonii Alchemilla lapeyrousii — Lapeyrous' lady's mantle Alchemilla mollis Alchemilla monticola — hairy lady's mantle Alchemilla orbiculata Alchemilla sericata Alchemilla splendens Alchemilla stricta Alchemilla subcrenata — broadtooth lady's mantle Alchemilla stuhlmanii Alchemilla subcrenata Alchemilla subnivalis Alchemilla triphylla Alchemilla venosa — boreal lady's mantle Alchemilla vestita Alchemilla vulgaris Alchemilla wichurae — grassland lady's mantle Alchemilla xanthochlora
References