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Poterium sanguisorba. Synonym: Sanguisorba minor. (Burnet) Foothills, montane. Meadows, shrublands.
Summer. Poterium sanguisorba was introduced to the northern hemisphere from Euro-Asia for erosion control. Fortunately its slow growth rate has kept it from becoming a nuisance species in the United States. Poterium sanguisorba is a perennial, growing to over 2 feet tall with basal leaves 2-8 inches long and stem leaves reduced in size. One is certainly first attracted to Poterium sanguisorba by its ball-head spike of strange flowers -- attractively red filamentary. Male and female floral parts are separate, with the lower flowers usually staminate and the upper flowers usually pistillate but sometimes perfect. The flowers have 4 broad, petal-like sepals; true petals are absent. In 1753 Linnaeus named the Poterium genus and he named this species Poterium sanguisorba. Scopoli renamed the species Sanguisorba minor in 1772. "Poterium" is Greek for "drinking cup"; "sanguisorba" is Latin for "absorbs blood" (from bygone notions about the medicinal value of this plant); and "muricatum" is Latin for "pointed". |
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Poterium sanguisorba. Synonym: Sanguisorba minor. (Burnet) Foothills, montane. Meadows, shrublands.
Summer. Leaves are divided into 9-17 oval leaflets each of which has serrated edges. Note the red tinges to both the main stems and the rachis (the stem of the leaflets). |
Range map © John Kartesz,
County Color Key
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Range map for Poterium sanguisorba |
Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state
Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Eradicated
Questionable presence