Sanguisorba officinalis : Great Burnet

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Spermatophyta (seed bearing)
Angiospermae (enclosed seed)

Class: Dicoteldonae (two seed-leaves)

Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Genera: Sanguisorba (Burnet) (Lat. sanguis=blood + sorbeo=to absorb; referring to its reputed ability to coagulate blood.)

Species: officinalis (Lat. officina = workshop, factory; of use or service to people.)

Synonym(s): S. microcephala

English Name(s):

Great Burnet, Official / Garden / Common / Italian Burnet

First Nation Names:

Structure:

• Glabrous (hairless), herbaceous (not woody), arrising from a stout caudex (base).
• Stems 25-90cm high.

Leaves:

• Pinnately divided.
• Margins coarsely serrate-dentate.
• Basal leaves 15-30cm long, leaflets 7-15.
• Leaflets 1-7cm long, stalked, ovate to oblong or lanceolate in shape. Truncate to cordate, at base.
• Stem leaves smaller with fewer leaflets, alternating.

Reproductive Parts:

• Inflorescence (flower cluster) a dense long-peduncled (stalked) spike.
• Flowers small, perfect (bisexual), petals absent.
• Flower spikes 1-3cm long.
• Sepals 4, petal like, 2-3mm long, reddish purple.
• Stamens (male parts), 4, about as long or slightly longer than the sepals.
• Pistils (female parts) 1-3, ovaaries superior (above flower base), 1-loculed.
• Style (on female part) 1 per pistil, stigma (top) cap-like, fringed.

Seed:

• Fruit an achene.
• Achene four winged, hairy.
• Formed by the receptacle enclosing the dry seeds.

Not to Be Confused With:

Physiology:

Life Cycle:

• Perennial.

Seasonal Cycle:

• Blooms in July.

Animal Uses:

Habitat:

• Riverbanks and occasionally in townsites.

Modern:

Industrial:

• Plants are cultivated in Germany for fodder but are not considered to be good fodder in England.

Medicinal:

• Plants contain tannin which is an astringent and coagulant. Pharmacologists confirm the validity of its use as a strong astringent to treat diarrhea and dysentry.

Food:

• Young leaves have a cucumber-like taste and are popular in salads.

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Other:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

• 2-3 stalks with leaves in 250ml of wine, especially claret, were said to quicken the spirits, refresh and cheer the heart, and drive away melancholy.
• Plant decoction was used to stop bleeding and was taken as a tonic and sedative.
• Plants were collected in July or roots collected in autumn.
• Roots, fresh and peeled, were applied to soothe mild burns.

Food:

• Widely used in making herb beer.