Common Agrimony, Agrimonia gryposepala

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Agrimonia gryposepala (commonly known as tall hairy agrimony, common agrimony, hooked agrimony, or tall hairy grooveburr) is a small perennial flowering plant of the rose family (Rosaceae), which is native to North America. This plant was used by various indigenous peoples to treat medical problems such as diarrhea and fever. The plant grows 1-5 ft (about 30-150 cm) high, producing a cluster of small, yellow, 5-parted flowers on a hairy stalk above pinnate leaves. The fruits are hooked dry seeds grouped in a cluster. A spicy scent is released when the stem is crushed. The plant's native range covers most of the United States and Canada (except the Rocky Mountains) and extending south to Chiapas, Mexico. It grows in woodlands and forests. The specific epithet, gryposepala, is derived from the Greek grypos, meaning curved or hooked, and from sepala, meaning sepal. The name "grooveburr," which is sometimes applied to the plant, comes from the grooved shape of the seedpod or burr. Uses. Across North America, various indigenous peoples used the plant for medicinal purposes. Among the Iroquois people, a drink made from the roots of the plant was used for diarrhea. Among the Cherokee, the plant was used for the same purpose, to reduce fever, and for a range of other problems. The Ojibwe used the plant for urinary problems, and the Meskwaki and Prairie Potawatomi used it as a styptic for nosebleeds. These ethnobotanical uses of the plant have some similarities to the traditional medical uses of Agrimonia eupatoria, which is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

0.8 - 5.9 ft tall

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Moderate

Flower Color

Yellow

Flowering Season

Summer

Landscaping Information

Soil Description

Prefers sandy or loamy soils. Does not grow well in clay soils.

Natural Setting

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 18.5" - 76.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.43" - 2.45", Coldest Month: 33.5" - 48.6", Hottest Month: 60.3" - 71.7", Humidity: 0.59" - 22.07", Elevation: 758" - 7419"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Hooked Agrimony, Tall Hairy Agrimony, Tall Hairy Grooveburr

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Common Agrimony

Agrimonia gryposepala

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Common AgrimonyAgrimonia gryposepala

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Common Agrimony

Agrimonia gryposepala