burnet

plant

Also known as: Sanguisorba

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

burnet, (genus Sanguisorba), genus of about 35 species of perennial herbs in the rose family (Rosaceae), native to the north temperate zone. Some species—notably the garden, or salad, burnet (Sanguisorba minor) and the great burnet (S. officinalis)—are eaten in salads or used as an ingredient in fines herbes, a mixture of herbs commonly used in French cuisine. The dried leaves are also used to make tea.

Burnets are hardy herbaceous (i.e., nonwoody) plants. Most species bear alternate pinnately compound (feather-formed) leaves and often spread by underground stems called rhizomes. The small flowers lack true petals and are crowded into a dense head or spike. The fruit is a dry achene.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.

burnet

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