Lady’s mantle, Alchemilla vulgaris, is a plant that does not initially catch your eye because of its beauty. It has no conspicuous inflorescence or colour. Most of the plant stays low to the ground and in all its greenness it is easy to miss.
Then you look a bit closer and spot the large drops that accumulate on its leaves. And you notice the leaves’ bright, light green colour… Suddenly you see how beautiful this plant is and you want to know more about it.
The name gives it away a bit: lady’s mantle is known for its effect against women’s disorders. The mantle part of the name probably comes from the leaf shape which resembles a cloak as worn many centuries ago.
As such the name is appropriate. Just as a cloak protects a woman from the elements, lady’s mantle protects her from ailments.
Predictably, this feminine aspect appears in the magical workings of this beautiful plant as well. In various cultures, lady’s mantle was dedicated to the respective goddesses dealing with love and motherhood. When Christianity became the dominant religion, the plant was reinvented as a Marian plant.
Lady’s mantle promotes women’s welfare in multiple ways. It can therefore be deployed in an amulet for protection, but also in a talisman to achieve things, such as love or a healthy baby.
In short, this is a plant that every woman should have in her garden.
Black, woody, running rhizome from which densely haired, rufous, thin stems emerge. The leaves are round to kidney-shaped, up to about 8 cm in size, 5 to 11 denticulate lobes. The flowers bloom in corymbose inflorescences from May to September, in two sessions. They are yellow-green and have no petals, but do have 4 sepals. The achenes are ripe from August to October.
It is striking that the leaves collect dew into large drops. Even when there is no dew, the leaves still show small drops which are secreted by the water pores.
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