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Rosaceae
Queen of the Meadow
Filipendula ulmaria
Joy, bridal beauty, and herbal healing.
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Filipendula
- Native to
- Europe, western Asia
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 60–120 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- moist, fertile, slightly acidic
- Water
- high; prefers consistently moist soil
- Hardiness
- 3–9
- Lifespan
- long-lived perennial
Did you know
- Aspirin gets its name from this plant — 'spirin' comes from Spiraea, its former genus name.
- Salicylic acid, the precursor to aspirin, was first isolated from meadowsweet flowers in 1838.
- It was one of the three most sacred herbs of the Druids, along with watermint and vervain.
- Elizabeth I favored meadowsweet as a strewing herb for its sweet, honey-almond fragrance.
- Mead brewed with meadowsweet flowers was a traditional celebratory drink in medieval Europe.
Color meanings
Cream
gentle happiness
White
sacred celebrations