"Sanguisorba officinalis (Great Burnet) is a plant in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. It is native throughout the cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, northern Asia, and northern North America.

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 3 feet tall, which occurs in grasslands, growing well on grassy banks. It flowers June or July.

Sanguisorba officinalis is an important food plant for the European Large Blue butterflies Maculinea nausithous and M. teleius.

Use is made of its extensive root system for erosion control, as well as a bioremediator, used to reclaim derelict sites such as landfills.

The leaves are used in salads because they are mildly reminiscent of cucumber. Selective pruning of apical meristems, such as at flower heads, is used to encourage an increase in leaf production.

Specifically, the root is used to stop bloody dysentery, nosebleeds, and is applied topically to treat burns and insect bites."

Taken from wikipedia's page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S...

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Burnet will self-seed freely if conditions are favorable. Remove spent flowers after flowering to keep it in check. The young leaves can be used to flavor soups in addition to their use as salad greens. It has astringent properties useful to soothe inflamed skin. Especially striking grown in masses.

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