Lady's Mantle is an herbaceous perennial that originated in the Eastern Carpathians and the Caucasus. It is a member of the Rose family. The genus name, Alchemilla, may be a Latinized form of an Arabic word. The species name, mollis, means soft which is an accurate description of the leaves of this plant. They are soft and downy, up to 6 inches wide, circular in shape with 9 – 11 shallow lobes. The color is a soft pale green. They form a dense mound up to 12 inches high and wide. In June the plant carries bunches (compound cymes) of starry, chartreuse flowers reaching as high as 18 inches.The flowers do set seed and self-seeding can be a problem if it is growing in optimum conditions. Trimming the dead flowers will tidy the plant, encourage new growth, and reduce the seeding problem. The plant will spread into a dense cover and the simplest way of propagating it is through division in the spring or autumn.
It can be invasive in Canada.
