Bloomin’ Pretty

More than just a weed.

In some references this pretty little plant with the heart-shaped petals is called a common weed! It thrives in neglected, dry and compacted soils, like at the edges of roadways and paths. I found it flourishing all along the mountain bike path through the woods.

Pale yellow flowers with darker yellow splotches near the center and a starburst of pistils in the middle perch atop long stems fuzzy with perpendicular hairs — this sulphur cinquefoil is just dang adorable. Besides that,“cinquefoil” sounds like a Victorian dance to me. Go ahead, say it out loud.

" How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun."

Vincent Van Gough

Not just a good looking trailside decoration, this wild so-called weed is useful in a couple of important ways.

Its high tannin content makes the nectar astringent, but the butterflies still like it, and it has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory properties. In folk medicine, it was used in tinctures to treat diarrhea, wounds and sore throats. It also holds clues to what’s happening underground. It grows in conditions of low calcium, high phosphorous and sulfates, and low porosity _— classic indicators of imbalanced soil. When this shows up in your yard you know your soil is degraded.

Pretty. Useful. And wonderfully yellow.