Common Tormentil / Petoprsta steža

Description:

It is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the rose family (Rosaceae). It is a low, clumb-forming plant with slender, procumbent to arcuately upright stalks, growing 10 - 30 cm. tall and with non-rooting runners. This plant is flowering from May - Aug/Sep. There is one yellow, 7 - 11 mm wide flower, growing at the tip of a long stalk. There are almost always 4 notched petals, each with a length between 3 - 6 mm. Four petals are rather uncommon in the rose family.

Habitat:

It grows wild all over Asia and northern Europe, mostly in a wide variety of habitats, such as clearings, meadows, sandy soils and dunes.

Notes:

The rhizomatous root is thick. It is inappropriate to be used for food due to extreme bitterness and low caloric value. It can be used as a vegetable dye to dye leather red.The plant is particularly used in herbal medicine as an astringent because of its tannin content. Other names: Tormentil root, Septfoil, Tormentil.