The leaves are alternate, long, nearly smooth beneath, interruptedly pinnate, having from 8 to 5 or 7 oblong-ovate, coarsely serrated leaflets, between which are interspersed several smaller ones. The root is long, fibrous, and tapering, and of a reddish-brown color. It is much branched at the summit, producing numerous heads. The flowers are small, yellow, and borne in a dense, racemose spike, from a half to 1 foot long. The calyx-tube is curiously fluted with 10 ribs, conical, and surmounted with reddish, hooked bristles.
Agrimonia has a bitterish, harsh, subastringent taste, which is somewhat aromatic, but unpleasant.
This taste is strongest in the root. Its odor is aromatic, and especially is it more fragrant when in bloom. History and Chemical Composition. It thrives along roadsides, in old fields, and in woodlands, flowering from midsummer through September. The burrs attach themselves to the clothing as one comes in contact with them, hence the common names, cockle-burr and stickwort.