Alchemilla (redirected from alchemillas)

Alchemilla 

(lady’s-mantle), a genus of plants of the family Rosaceae. They are perennial and, rarely, annual herbs that are generally short with woody rootstocks. The leaves are rounded, palmately lobed, and wrinkled; the basal leaves are in rosettes. The small, bisexual flowers are green or yellowish and gathered in glomerulate compound cymose-paniculate inflorescences. The sepals are arranged in two circles, and there are no petals. Apomixis is characteristic of many species of lady’s-mantle. There are approximately 300 species, distributed predominantly in Europe; they are also encountered in Asia, Africa, and America. More than 200 species are found in the USSR, mainly in the forest zone and in the forest, subalpine, and alpine mountain zones. They also grow in meadows, shrubbery, glades, and light forests, as well as along brooks and streams, forest edges, and paths. The rootstock and leaves of lady’s-mantle contain dye substances.