Acorus americanus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Acorus americanus, the American Sweet Flag, is a common wetland plant native to the northern United States and Canada. Its leaves are blade-shaped and dark green, arising directly from the roots.

The foliage has a citrus-like flavor, and is often used to flavor beer.

Acorus comes from a Greek word for another similar plant.

Americanus, naturally, indicates that this is an American version of this plant, differentiating it from the European varieties.

Taxonomy: Kingdom Plantae (plants), division Magnoliophyta (Angiosperms, flowering plants), Class Liliopsida, the Monocotyledons, subclass Arecidae, order Arales, family Acoraceae (the Sweet Flags), genus Acorus (also the Sweet Flags).

According to some research, there may actually be two varieties of this plant in North America, some of it native, some of it not. However, all varieties are currently lumped together, creating some taxonomic confusion in some circles.

The American Sweet Flag is a perennial plant, fairly hardy, with sweet, spicy-scented leaves. It is a flowering plant that produces berries with a jelly inside.