Many-Flowered Agrimony

Description

Many-Flowered Agrimony, (Agrimonia parviflora) also known as Swamp Agrimony, is a native perennial forb (wildflower). It loves very moist soils and has a host of medicinal uses. It can be found in swamps, woodlands, prairies and roadside ditches.

The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract small bees and flower flies. Larvae of the midge, Contarinia agrimoniae, feed on the flower buds, flowers, & developing seeds of Agrimonia spp. and other species in the Rose family, while an aphid, Macrosiphum agrimoniellum, sucks juices from the flowering stems. Insects that feed on the foliage of Agrimonia spp. include larvae of a sawfly (Fenella nigrita), larvae of a Gelechiid moth (Anacampsis agrimoniella), and larvae of a Tischeriid moth (Coptotriche agrimoniella). Because the foliage is bitter-tasting and high in tannins, it is usually avoided by mammalian herbivores. The bur-like fruits can cling to the fur of mammals, the feathers of birds, and the clothing of humans, which spreads the seeds to new locations.

Livestock tend to avoid this bitter tasting plant.

Many-flowered Agrimony prefers full sun to light shade, moist conditions, and loamy, silty, gravelly, or sandy soil. It tolerates temporary flooding during the spring.

Habitats include openings in floodplain woodlands, swamps, soggy thickets, gravelly seeps, river bottom prairies and prairie swales, and roadside ditches. The preceding habitats can be either sandy or non-sandy.