# Great burnet (*Sanguisorba officinalis*) Great burnet is a tall plant with beautiful, round, red flowers. It grows in meadows and wetlands and is loved by many insects, especially bees! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Great burnet](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Sanguisorba_officinalis.jpg&width=800) Photo: Carl Axel Magnus Lindman, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sanguisorba_officinalis.jpg) ## Appearance The Great burnet has unique, deep reddish-purple, egg-shaped flower heads that resemble little bobbles on slender, upright stems. Its leaves are pinnate, meaning they look like a feather with many small leaflets arranged along a central rib, distinguishing it from many other meadow flowers. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Rosales - **Family:** Rosaceae - **Genus:** Sanguisorba ## Interesting facts - In Japan, it's a cherished autumn symbol called 'Waremokou'. - Its scientific name, 'Sanguisorba', means 'blood stopper' in Latin! - The plant's distinctive flowers make it a favorite for floral arrangements. - You can eat its young leaves in salads or steep them for a refreshing tea. ## Special abilities - **Moisture Lover:** Great burnet can thrive in damp, boggy meadows that other plants find too wet, helping it find open space. - **Blood Stopper:** It has compounds in its roots and leaves that traditionally helped stop bleeding, aiding human survival. - **Pollinator Beacon:** Its rich red flowers attract many types of insects, ensuring its reproduction and spreading seeds. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-100 cm - **Spread:** 30-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 1-3 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer-early autumn - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — visits flowers for nectar - **Pollinates:** painted lady butterfly (*Vanessa cardui*) — feeds on nectar from blooms - **Eaten by:** [red deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-deer) (*Cervus elaphus*) — grazes on leaves and shoots - **Eaten by:** [common vole](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-vole) (*Microtus arvalis*) — might eat roots or stems ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Cluster Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/cluster-flower): Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [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. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [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. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always look but don't touch plants without asking an adult first. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Great burnet? 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 Great burnet? 30-100 cm ### How wide does Great burnet spread? 30-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on Great burnet? 1-3 cm ### When does Great burnet bloom? Summer-early autumn ### Is Great burnet edible? Yes ### Is Great burnet toxic? None ### What is Great burnet's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Fürstlich Greizer Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/furstlich-greizer-park) — Thüringen, DE · Park - [Marais de Lavours National Nature Reserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/marais-de-lavours-national-nature-reserve) — Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, FR · Park - [Osaka Garden of Floral Culture](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/osaka-garden-of-floral-culture) — Kansai, JP · Park - [Sera Prefectural Citizens' Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sera-prefectural-citizens-park) — Hiroshima, JP · Park - [Aso-Kuju National Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/aso-kuju-national-park) — Kyushu, JP · Park - [Makino Park, Sakawa](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/makino-park-sakawa) — Kochi, JP · Park [View all places to see Great burnet](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/great-burnet) ## 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: [Great burnet: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-burnet)