AGRIMONIA L. Sp. Pl.. Perennial, erect or assurgent, mostly glandulose herbs, simple or branched above, with alternate, conspicuously stipulate, odd pinnate leaves bearing interposed subleaflets, and small regular perfect yellow flowers in spicate racemes. Flowers short-pedi celled or subsessile, axillary from small 3-cleft'bracts and with a pair of trifid or entire bracteoles at the base of the calyx. Calyx tube in fruit obconic, turbinate or hemispheric, short-stipitate, sul cate, uncinate-spinose or bristly above, contracted at the throat to form a flattened or convex disk which supports a central process formed by the five connivent calyx-lobes. Petals 5, inserted with the 3-15 stamens in the margin of a waxy disk which surrounds the terminal styles in the throat of the calyx ; anther-cells mostly separated by a broad connective. Carpels 2, included, developing into one or sometimes two one-seeded achenes with membranous testae contained in the indurated calyx tube, seeds suspended.
Leaflets crenate, dentate, serrate or incised, the teeth mucronu lete or having a minute callosity in the tip. Lower stipules smaller and simpler than those above. Stamens variable in number in the some species, often fewer than normally in the terminal or .later flowers. Roots either fibrous or tuberous-thickened.
The North American species, as far as known, are as follows. The ranges given are based alone on specimens actually examined, and are doubtless subject to considerable extension in some cases. I. AGRIMONIA IIIRSUTA (Muhl.).
A. a of most American authors, not L.
A. eupatorm hirsuta Muhl. Cat. ed I, 47. 1813.
A. EVatoria hirsuia Torr. Fl. 473. 1824.
A. ggposepala Wallr. Beitr. I: 49. 1842.
New Brunswick to Minnesota and Nebraska, south to North Carolina ; California.