Filipendula ulmaria
Flowers June-September. Root smells of antiseptic. White frothy flowers with sweet fragrance.
Soil moisture tolerances
t is found on sites with less than 10 weeks of dry soil per year but 10-20 weeks wet soil per year. It is more tolerant of water logging than drying.
Soil fertility tolerances
It is typically found on moderately fertile sites (10-25 mg P/kg) or P index 1-2.
Traditional medicinal use
Meadowsweet is widely used in herbal medicine and cooking. It can be added to wine, beer, vinegars, stewed fruits and jam to add flavour, and contains salicylic acid, a derivative of which was used to create aspirin. It was once grown commercially for this purpose. Traditional medicine recommends pressing the crushed leaves to your forehead. The root smells of antiseptic
Suitability for floodplain living
Meadowsweet is a key plant found on floodplain meadows. It prefers damper soils and can indicate the soils are rarely dry. If it dominates to the detriment of other smaller species, then an earlier cut and improved drainage should help to re-establish a balance of meadow species.
