Agrimonia Eupatoria

Common agrimony is a graceful native perennial of grassy banks, hedgerows and woodland margins. A basal clump of deeply veined, pinnate leaves sends up slender summer spires studded with small golden-yellow, star-shaped flowers, giving rise to the old country name “church steeples”. The ripening fruits carry hooked bristles that cling to animal fur and clothing, an ingenious method of dispersal behind names such as sticklewort and beggar’s ticks. Lightly aromatic and rich in traditional folklore, it is a valuable, understated addition to wildflower gardens and informal naturalistic planting.