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Lycopus virginicus L. Virginia water horehound, sweet bugleweed, water bugle, carpenter’s herb, green archangel, purple archangel, Paul’s betony, woodbetony, wolf foot, Egyptian’s herb
Virginia water horehound is a North American native. “Horehound” is from “hore,” downy, and “hune,” an old English word for a type of plant. It prefers river banks, floodplains, wet meadows, clearings, and shores. Plants: 1-3′ (38-91 cm) tall, with an unbranched stem. It is erect, or sometimes leaning over against other plants. Stems are roughly square in cross-section, and covered with fine hairs which may point outward or lie flat against the stem (appressed). These plants often (but not always) lack the thick tuberous roots of other water-horehounds. Leaves: 1-4½″ (3-12 cm) × ⅜-1¾″ (1-5 cm). Oval or lanceolate, unlobed, with coarsely toothed edges. The lowest teeth are a little below the mid-point of each leaf. Leaves are more egg-shaped than those other water-horehounds. Leaves are dark green or purple, and opposite. Leaves nearer the bottom have a short stalk, while those near the top are attached almost directly to the stem (i.e. sessile). Upper leaf surfaces are nearly hairless, while lower surfaces have a hairy central vein and may have fine hairs elsewhere. Flowers: Flowers appear in tight clusters at leaf axils. They are tubular in shape, and each is about ⅜″ (1 cm) long × ⅛″ (3.2 mm) in diameter. They emerge in all directions from the axil. Flowers are white, with a few pink spots. Fruits: Each flower is replaced by four small nutlets, packed together in roughly the shape of a square. Individual nutlets are 1/32-1/16″ (1.3-2 mm) × ~1/32″ (0.7-1.3 mm). Edibility: Cherokee peoples “chewed the roots of Virginia water-horehound and fed them to infants to give them ‘eloquence of speech.’” Medical: Virginia water horehound, and other members of Lycopus, have a long history of use in folk cures, but these have not be substantiated with formal studies. The plant does have mild sedative properties, and shows some promise in the treatment of some thyroid disorders, such as Grave’s disease and other forms of hyperthyroidism. For the same reason, it is dangerous for people with hypothyroism, myxedema, and enlargement of the thyroid. It should not be taken by pregnant mothers. Members of Lycopus, the water-horehounds, are notoriously hard to distinguish. They are also easily confused with some members of other genera. Here are some comparisons. |
8/26/2018 · Henry E. Cowdrey Nature Center, Lunenburg, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm) |
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Lycopus americanus |
Lycopus uniflorus |
You are here Lycopus virginicus |
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| Plant | 1-3′ (30-91 cm) tall, unbranched or sparingly branched, sometimes sprawling. The main stem is four-angled and ridged, and hairless or nearly so. | 4-20″ (10-50 cm) tall, usually straight or with a few branches. Stems are four-angled and almost hairless. | 1-3′ (38-91 cm) tall, with an unbranched stem. It is erect, or sometimes leaning. Stems are roughly square in cross-section, and covered with fine hairs which may point outward or lie flat against the stem (appressed). These plants often (but not always) lack the thick tuberous roots of other water-horehounds. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flowers | In small clusters at leaf axils. Individual flowers are ⅛″ (3.2 mm) in size, and white, with tiny purplish spots. They are tubular in shape, emerging in all directions from leaf axils. | Flowers occur in dense clusters at leaf axils. They are tubular, reaching in every direction from the leaf axil, and about ⅛″ (3.2 mm) around at the end. | Flowers appear in tight clusters at leaf axils. They are tubular in shape, and each is about ⅜″ (1 cm) long × ⅛″ (3.2 mm) in diameter. They emerge in all directions from the axil. Flowers are white, with a few pink spots. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leaves | Lower leaves are deeply lobed, and up to 3½″ (8.9 cm) long × 1½″ (3.8 cm) wide. Leaves are narrowly oval, narrowly oblong, or linear. They are opposite, becoming smaller near the top, and coarsely toothed. Upper leaf surfaces are typically hairless. | Up to 3″ (7.6 cm) long × 1″ (2.5 cm) wide. They are hairless or nearly so, with 2-7 teeth on each side of the leaf. The leaves are opposite, and each pair are rotated 90° from the previous pair. | 1-4½″ (3-12 cm) × ⅜-1¾″ (1-5 cm). Oval or lanceolate, unlobed, with coarsely toothed edges. The lowest teeth are a little below the mid-point of each leaf. Leaves are more egg-shaped than those other water-horehounds. Leaves are dark green or purple, and opposite. Leaves nearer the bottom have a short stalk, while those near the top are attached almost directly to the stem. Upper leaf surfaces are nearly hairless, while lower surfaces have a hairy central vein and may have fine hairs elsewhere. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fruit | Nutlets are in groups of four, together forming a square shape. Each is 1/32-1/16″ (1.2-1.7 mm) long. | Nutlets are 1/32-1/16″ (1-2 mm), in groups of four. | Each flower is replaced by four small nutlets, packed in roughly the shape of a square. Nutlets are 1/32-1/16″ (1.3-2 mm) × ~1/32″ (0.7-1.3 mm). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Habitats | Lake and river shores, and wetland edges. | Wet areas such shores, swamps, marshes, wet meadows, and stream banks. | River banks, floodplains, wet meadows, clearings, and shores. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Wild | Wild | Wild | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Leonurus cardiaca
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 342
Lycopus virginicus description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2020.
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