Alchemilla xanthochlora

Plants large, yellowish green to green, rarely with reddish orange leaf margins, robust, compact often with rather rigid stems, 40–60 cm. Stems usually densely spreading-hairy, sometimes sparsely in distal 1/2. Leaves: stipules translucent, colorless proximally, lobes green, quickly turning brownish; petiole thickly, densely pubescent (hairs patent or, when not fully developed, slightly ascending); blade reniform to orbiculate, 7–11-lobed, margins flat or slightly undulate, basal sinuses wide, basal lobes not overlapping, middle lobes equal to longer than their half-widths and rounded, or as long as wide and straight-sided; incisions usually absent, sometimes relatively short; teeth sometimes proximal sides at least slightly connivent, side slightly concave near apex, usually slightly, sometimes markedly, asymmetric, apex acute to subobtuse, abaxial surface with nerves hairy throughout, internerve regions uniformly or irregularly hairy throughout, adaxial yellowish to light green, usually glabrous, rarely sparsely hairy on teeth, margins, and folds or on some folds only. Inflorescences: primary branches densely hairy; peduncles sparsely hairy or glabrous. Pedicels glabrous or some of the proximal rarely sparsely hairy. Flowers: epicalyx bractlet lengths 0.5 times to almost equal to sepals (narrower); hypanthium usually glabrous or sparsely hairy (on proximalmost flowers). Achenes exserted 1/3 from discs.

Phenology: Flowering late May–Sep.
Habitat: Moist meadows, herb slopes, willow scrub, ditches, lawns
Elevation: 0–50 m

Introduced; N.B., N.S., Que., Europe.

Discussion

Alchemilla xanthochlora was recognized by P. A. Rydberg (1908–1918) and M. L. Fernald (1950) as A. pratensis attributed to F. W. Schmidt, as typical A. vulgaris Linnaeus by M. L. Fernald and K. M. Wiegand (1912), and as A. vulgaris var. vulgaris by B. Boivin (1966b). Actually, Schmidt published a varietal name [A. vulgaris var. pratensis F. W. Schmidt, A. pratensis (F. W. Schmidt) Opiz], which does not apply to this species nor does A. vulgaris.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa