EUPATORIUM CANNABINUM
Common Names:- Hemp-agrimony
Homotypic synonyms:- Chone heterophyll, Cunigunda vulgaris, Eupatorium
cannabifolium.
Meaning:- Eupatorium (L) After Mithridates VI Eupator, the ancient King of
Pontus, who was said to have discovered that a species within this genus had
medicinal properties.
Cannabinum (L) Derived from Latin, meaning "cannabis-like," referring
to the deep, segmented lobes of the leaves which resemble those of the hemp plant
(Cannabis sativa).
General description:- An erect, stout, robust, clump-forming, herbaceous
perennial wildflower.
Root:-
1) Rootstock, woody.
Stems:-
1) 60 to 175 cm, upright, stout, and reddish-purple or reddish-brown, downy or
covered in small hairs near the top, branching liberally toward the upper portion.
Leaves:-
1) Opposite, deeply divided into 3 to 5 palmately lobed segments.
2) The margins are coarsely serrate-toothed.
3) Upper cauline, simple or lanceolate, giving off a pungent, aromatic smell when
bruised.
Flowers:-
1) Showy, in fluffy, flat-topped terminal clusters (corymbs or panicles) and purple,
composed of small tubular florets, color range from pale pink and mauve to deep
and rarely white.
Fruit:-
1) Achene, small, 2-3 mm long, equipped with a hairy pappus, 3-5 mm long that
facilitates wind dispersal.
Toxicity:- Moderately toxic because it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids and bitter
principles that can cause liver damage or stomach upset if eaten in large amounts.
Habitat:- Mainly in damp or wet, base-enriched soils such as, Edges of ponds,
lakes, rivers, and canals, fen-meadows, and marshy ground. Damp or wet
woodlands and moist forest edges. dune-slacks.
Distribution:- Native across Europe, extending to Central Asia, Iran, and Northwest
Africa. Widespread and common across lowland areas of England and Wales, but
becomes scarcer further north in the UK.
Flowering time:- July to September
Status:- Conservation status of Least Concern.
Photos by:- Thomas Giannakis & Wiki Commons.