A genus of flowering plants commonly known as lady's mantle, featuring small yellowish-green flowers and leaves that collect dewdrops.
From medieval Latin, possibly influenced by Arabic 'al-kimiya' (alchemy) because the plants' dewdrop-collecting leaves seemed magical to medieval observers. The genus name was given due to this mystical appearance.
Medieval herbalists named this plant 'alchemilla' thinking the dewdrops on its leaves held magical powers for transmutation—turns out they were right scientifically, as lady's mantle actually has real medicinal properties.
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