Alchemilla

Alchemilla is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Rosaceae, with the common name lady's mantle applied generically as well as specifically to Alchemilla mollis when referred to as a garden plant. The plant used as a herbal tea or for medicinal usage such as gynaecological disorders is Alchemilla xanthochlora or in Middle Europe the so-called common lady's mantle Alchemilla vulgaris. There are about 700 species, the majority native to cool temperate and subarctic regions of Europe and Asia, with a few species native to the mountains of Africa and the Americas.

Most species of Alchemilla are clump-forming or mounded perennials with basal leaves arising from woody rhizomes. Some species have leaves with lobes that radiate from a common point and others have divided leaves—both are typically fan-shaped with small teeth at the tips. The long-stalked, gray-green to green leaves are often covered with soft hairs, and show a high degree of water-resistance (see Lotus effect). Green to bright chartreuse flowers are small, have no petals and appear in clusters above the foliage in late spring and summer.

Selected species

 * Alchemilla abyssinica Fresen.
 * Alchemilla alpina L. — alpine lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla argyrophylla Oliv.
 * Alchemilla barbatiflora Juzepczuk
 * Alchemilla bursensis Pawł.
 * Alchemilla conjuncta Bab.
 * Alchemilla diademata Rothm. — diadem lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla ellenbeckii Engl.
 * Alchemilla erythropoda — dwarf lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla filicaulis Buser — thinstem lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla flabellata Buser — fan lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla glabra Neygenf. — smooth lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla glaucescens Wallr. — waxy lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla glomerulans Buser — clustered lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla gracilis Engl.
 * Alchemilla hungarica Soó
 * Alchemilla japonica Nakai & H. Hara
 * Alchemilla jaroschenkoi Grossh. — holotrichous lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla johnstonii Oliv.
 * Alchemilla lapeyrousii Buser — Lapeyrous' lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla mollis (Buser) Rothm.
 * Alchemilla monticola Opiz — hairy lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla orbiculata Ruiz & Pav.
 * Alchemilla sericata Rchb.
 * Alchemilla splendens Christ ex Favrat
 * Alchemilla stricta Rothm.
 * Alchemilla subcrenata Buser — broadtooth lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla stuhlmanii
 * Alchemilla subcrenata
 * Alchemilla subnivalis Baker f.
 * Alchemilla triphylla Rothm.
 * Alchemilla venosa Buser — boreal lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla vestita
 * Alchemilla vulgaris L.
 * Alchemilla wichurae (Buser) Stefanss. — grassland lady's mantle
 * Alchemilla xanthochlora Rothm.