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Meadowsweet grows in well-hydrated areas and moist soils, in marshy, flooded and alluvial meadows, and by riversides, lakesides and ditches. It is native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia, and has been introduced and naturalised in North America. The stems grow to 1-2 metres tall and the creamy-white flowers are clustered close together in irregularly branched cymes. The flowers open from early summer to early autumn. In the British Isles meadowsweet is common in damp areas and dominant in fens and wet woods. It is the food plant for many species of moth caterpillars.

The specific epithet ulmaria means elmlike, possibly in reference to its individual leaves, which resemble those of the elm. The generic name Filipendula comes from filum, meaning thread, and pendulus, meaning hanging.

Salicylates make up approximately 70% of the essential oil, and meadowsweet is one of the few plants that produce such a high percentage of them. Salicylaldehyde and methyl salicylate are the main salicylates and also the most common substances of the essential oils. Salicylaldehyde prevailed over methyl salicylate in all the essential oils. It made up 72.30 ± 4.71% of the oil from early blooming inflorescences and 65.66 ± 20.94% of the oil from late blooming ones. Ethyl salicylate and benzyl salicylate are very rarely detected in the oil, or are not found at all. Other chemical constituents include salicin, flavone glycosides and tannins.

Salicylaldehyde (2-hydroxybenzaldehyde) is a colorless oily liquid. It is a precursor to coumarin.

The flowers can be added to stewed fruit and jams, giving them a subtle almond flavour. Salicylates are also used as flavouring substances in drinks, foods and tobacco products.

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