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Papaveraceae
Common Fumitory
Fumaria officinalis
Earthly connection.
- Family
- Papaveraceae
- Genus
- Fumaria
- Native to
- Europe, North Africa, Western Asia
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer, Fall
- Type
- annual
- Height
- 0.5-1 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- well-drained, loamy, disturbed
- Water
- low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 5-9
- Lifespan
- annual
Did you know
- The name fumitory comes from Latin 'fumus terrae' (smoke of the earth) because the gray-green foliage resembles rising smoke.
- Ancient Romans believed the plant grew not from seeds but from vapors rising from the ground.
- Each tiny tubular flower has a dark crimson tip that gradually fades to pale pink at the base.
- Fumitory has been used in herbal medicine since ancient Egyptian times as a skin treatment and liver tonic.
- The delicate, fern-like foliage and dainty flowers have made it an unwitting weed in gardens worldwide.
Color meanings
0
spite
1
earth smoke
2
purification