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Wet meadow community

This occurs where the land is poorly drained and soils are subject to waterlogging. It is rare in the Peak District now as many marshland areas have been artificially drained to produce more productive grasslands. Typical species include marsh marigold, soft rush and meadowsweet.

Wildflower species:

Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)

Meadowsweet is a tall perennial herb producing a mass of tiny, cream flowers. It flowers in late summer and sets seed from August to October spreading by means of rhizomes. Meadowsweet cannot tolerate heavy grazing and is often restricted to marshy wet ground and damp grasslands. Its population is declining in lowland Britain because of the drainage and agricultural improvement of marshland.

The name ‘meadowsweet’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon tradition of using it to sweeten the flavour of mead. It has a distinct sweet aroma and in Medieval times was strewn on the floor to mask unpleasant smells. Also called ‘courtship and marriage’ - the sweet smell of the flowers representing courtship, while the sharper scent of the crushed leaves symbolises the reality of marriage!

The plant has been used to ease pain and calm fevers, as it contains a chemical of the same group as salicylic acid, an ingredient of aspirin.

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