Eupatorium cannabinum

Common agrimony ( Eupatorium cannabinum )

The Ordinary Wasserdost or Cunegonde herb ( Eupatorium cannabinum ) is a plant from the sunflower family ( Asteraceae). Other names are water hemp ( hence the Latin name, but no relation), deer clover, blue weather cooling, basic salvation, lambs tail.

Distribution and location

The Common agrimony is spread throughout Europe. After North America and Australia, this species was introduced.

The Ordinary Wasserdost preferably grows in wet meadows, wet meadows wasteland, on the banks of ditches and streams or along forest edges and in forest beats.

Description

The Common agrimony is a deciduous, perennial, herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height 50-175 centimeters. This Hemikryptophyt forming a simple, rich leafy stems, which often is reddish crowded. Its against constantly arranged leaves are palmate pinnate with three to seven leaflets. The leaf edges are serrated lobed.

The Common agrimony flowers from July to September. The thick, slightly arched, schirmrispige inflorescence consists of numerous basket- shaped part inflorescences. The four-to sechsblütigen flower heads consist exclusively of tubular flowers, which are formed from five fused pink, rarely white petals. From the flower tube, the scars stand out far. The blunt bracts are arranged like roof tiles. The bottom head has no chaff leaves. The pappus consists of many hair and is 3 to 5 millimeters long. The achenes are 2-3 millimeters long.

Ecology

The flowers are pollinated by insects ( entomophily ). In particular, butterflies and hoverflies respond to the inflorescences. So is the Russian bear the nectar of Wasserdosts in late summer a very important food source. Rarely, self-pollination is observed. The seeds are spread by the wind ( Anemochorie ).

Use and ingredients

Eupatorium has long been used as a medicinal plant. He is still part of many herbal medicines. The Wasserdost contains: eupatorin ( it is a cytotoxic flavone ), Bitterstoffglykosid, resin, tannins, essential oil, saponins, polysaccharides, Pyrrolizidinalkaloide. Precisely because of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids contained an application recently viewed critically. Traditionally Eupatorium CANNABINUM is used in diseases of the rheumatic, fever and flu-like infections. The immunostimulating effect is mainly due to the content of immunostimulatory polysaccharides.

Pictures

Inflorescence

Achenes with pappus.