# Garden Lady's-mantle (*Alchemilla mollis*) Garden Lady's-mantle is a lovely plant with soft, rounded leaves that catch raindrops like tiny jewels. It blooms with cheerful yellow-green flowers and is great for gardens. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 1 - **Habitat:** Gardens ![Garden Lady's-mantle](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Alchemilla_mollis_ies.jpg&width=800) Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Ies assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alchemilla_mollis_ies.jpg) ## Appearance The Garden Lady's-mantle has distinctive soft, velvety, fan-shaped leaves with crimped edges that beautifully hold glistening dew or rainwater droplets. Its airy clusters of tiny, star-like, chartreuse-yellow flowers appear above the foliage, creating a soft, misty effect in summer. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Rosales - **Family:** Rosaceae - **Genus:** Alchemilla ## Interesting facts - In some cultures, it's a symbol of comfort, strength, and gentle protection. Wow! - Its scientific name, \*Alchemilla\*, means "little alchemist" for its magical dew drops! - Medieval alchemists believed the dew on its leaves could turn metal into gold. Wow! - The plant's name comes from its leaves resembling a lady's ruffled cloak or mantle. Wow! ## Special abilities - **Water Magician:** Garden Lady's-mantle has unique velvety leaves that repel water, making dew and rain collect like sparkling jewels without wetting the leaf surface. - **Garden Colonizer:** Garden Lady's-mantle can readily self-seed, allowing it to quickly establish itself and spread in suitable garden environments. - **Clone Creator:** Garden Lady's-mantle can produce seeds without needing pollination, creating perfect copies of itself to reproduce efficiently. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-45 cm - **Spread:** 45-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.3-0.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late spring to mid-summer - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Honey bees visit its tiny flowers for nectar and pollen. - **Eaten by:** [Black slug](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-slug) (*Arion ater*) — Slugs and snails sometimes munch on its soft leaves. - **Shelter:** Seven-spotted ladybird (*Coccinella septempunctata*) — Its broad leaves provide shelter for beneficial insects like ladybirds. ## Traits - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form. - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always ask an adult before touching or picking plants. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Garden Lady's-mantle? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Garden Lady's-mantle? 30-45 cm ### How wide does Garden Lady's-mantle spread? 45-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on Garden Lady's-mantle? 0.3-0.5 cm ### When does Garden Lady's-mantle bloom? Late spring to mid-summer ### Is Garden Lady's-mantle edible? Yes ### Is Garden Lady's-mantle toxic? None ### What is Garden Lady's-mantle's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Betty Ford Alpine Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/betty-ford-alpine-gardens) — Colorado, US · Botanical Garden ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Garden Lady's-mantle: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-ladys-mantle)