Scientific Name
Alchemilla alpina L.
Common Names
Alpine Lady's Mantle
Synonyms
Alchemilla argentea, Alchemilla glomerata, Alchemilla glomerata, Alchemilla viridicans
Scientific Classification
Family: Rosaceae
Subfamily: Rosoideae
Tribe: Potentilleae
Genus: Alchemilla
Flower
Color: Bright yellow
Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer
Description
Alchemilla alpina is a perennial plant with a woody rhizome and weak, silkily hairy stems produced by a basal rosette. It grows up to 8 inches (20 cm) tall. Leaves are palmate with about seven lanceolate leaflets with toothed tips, smooth above and densely hairy underneath. There are alternate leaves on the stems. The inflorescence forms a dense cyme. Flowers are lime green with four sepals, no petals, four stamens, and a solitary carpel. They are hermaphroditic and begin to bloom in late spring to early summer.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 3a to 8b: from −40 °F (−40 °C) to 20 °F (−6.7 °C).
How to Grow and Care
There's not much involved with caring for Lady's Mantle. It's a very carefree plant and doesn't require special attention or fertilizer.
Regular watering is only required when the plant is located in full sun or during times of extreme heat. Even then, it should be just enough to moisten the soil. It does not like to be waterlogged.
Warm regions with high humidity may have fungal problems, mainly if the crown is kept damp. Providing adequate air circulation and allowing the soil to slightly dry out some should help remedy this.
Since Lady's Mantle is prone to reseeding and can become mildly aggressive in some areas, deadheading the flowers as they start to dry is helpful in preventing it from spreading into unwanted parts of the garden. Though its foliage remains semi-evergreen throughout winter, you should remove older leaves as they brown. See more at How to Grow and Care for Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla)
Origin
Native to Europe and southern Greenland.
Links
- Back to genus Alchemilla
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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