The fluffy pink flowers of Hemp-agrimony blossom in damp places on The Lizard in mid- to late-summer.
Photo: Amanda Scott
Scientific name: Eupatorium cannabinum
Other common names: Raspberries and Cream
Cornish name: Scaw-dhu
Conservation status: Not threatened
Each dense flowerhead of this tall clump-forming perennial contains many small mauve-pink fluffy-looking flowers (Mabey, 1997, says they look like ‘whipped strawberry mousse’), which are produced from July to September. Its large-ish leaves superficially resemble those of cannabis plants (hence its species name of cannibinum and common name of Hemp), but the plants are not related.
A member of the Daisy family (Asteraceae), Hemp-agrimony is usually found in wet habitats, such as fens, marshes and river edges, although it is occasionally found in drier woods and wasteland. Widely distributed in the UK, though less common further to the north, it also has a preference for basic soils, which is why it favours some of the serpentine- and gabbro-derived soils of The Lizard.
Did you know…?
…Hemp-agrinomy was once thought to provide a cure for coughs and jaundice
More information and references:
Mabey, R., 1997. Flora Britannica. Chatto & Windus, London.
Rose, F. and O’Reilly, C., 2006. The Wild Flower Key, 2nd edition. Frederick Warne, London.
Stace, C., 2010. New Flora of the British Isles, 3rd edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Published: August 2013
Author: Amanda Scott
Photos: Amanda Scott
