alchemilla

[In Fr. alchimille; Port. alchimille; Sp. alchemila; from Arab. alk melyeh, meaning alchemy, the fancy being entertained that it po e ed alchemical virtues.] In English, Lady's Mantle, that is, mantle of "Our Lady" the Virgin Mary. A genus of plants belonging to the natural order Rosaceæ, or Rose-worts. Three species occur in Britain: the A. vulgar is, or Common Lady's Mantle; the A. Alpina, or Alpine Lady's Mantle; and the A. arvensis, the field Lady's Mantle, or Parsley Piert. The last named member of the genus is small and inconspicuous, but the other two are remarkably graceful, the A. Alpina , indeed, being regarded as one of the most elegant plants in the British flora. A decoction of the A. vulgar is is slightly tonic. According to Frederick Hoffmann, and others, it has also the effect of restoring the faded beauty of ladies to its earliest freshne .