Gnaphalium uliginosum

Marsh cudweed

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) Bernd Haynold

Short Description

The marsh cudweed can grow up to 25 cm high.

The leaves are elongated and felt-like hairy. The upper leaves are often wavy. They grow singly and alternately on the stem.

The stem grows erect and branched. It is felt-like hairy.

The flowers are small, inconspicuous, yellow tubular and ray florets that stand together in a flower head. The heads stand in dense clusters at the end of the branches. They are surmounted by the uppermost leaves.

The plant forms small, nut-like fruits. They have short, wreath-like hairs.

Features

Marsh cudweed

Gnaphalium uliginosum
  • filthy hair

  • inflorescences in dense clusters

Blütenstand (CC BY-SA 3.0) Jerzy Opioła

In the city

It originally grew mainly on open soils at the edge of water bodies. Nowadays, it is found much more frequently as a weed in fields, gardens or roadsides.

Fun Facts

  • When wet, sticky threads come out of the fruits so that they can be spread out as sticky.

  • The flowering period is from July to September.

  • It is an annual plant. This means the plant dies in the first year after the seeds have ripened.

  • Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
  • Usage:

    In homeopathy it is used for sciatic pain and lumbago.

  • It is widespread throughout the temperate and cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

  • The plant contains tannins that are said to help with diarrhoea and inflammation of the mouth and throat.

Habitus (CC BY-SA 4.0) Stefan.lefnaer

Sources

Habitus, Bernd Haynold, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gnaphalium_uliginosum_200807b.jpg

Blütenstand, Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gnaphalium_uliginosum_a1.jpg

Habitus, Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gnaphalium_uliginosum_sl8.jpg

Kammer, P. M. (2016) Pflanzen einfach bestimmen. Schritt für Schritt einheimische Arten kennenlernen, Bern: Haupt Verlag.

Schönfelder, I. & Schönfelder, P. (2010) Der Kosmos-Heilpflanzenführer. Über 600 Heil- und Giftpflanzen Europas, Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.

Page „Sumpf-Ruhrkraut“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 28.02.2018, 21:46 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sumpf-Ruhrkraut&oldid=174492424 (Accessed: 31.07.2018).