Hound's Tongue

(Cynoglossum officinale)

 

Color Photograph: © copyright by and courtesy of Sten Porse

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum officinale)

Alien: Native of Europe.

Identification: Flowers purple-red, fused portion of corolla short, and flower open. Flowers arranged in short, slightly curled sprays. Sepals of calyx velvety. Fruits hard, four-segmented and with hooked bristles. Stem downy. Leaves downy, elongate pointed at the apex. Middle leaves clasp the stem. Basal leaves with long petioles and forming a weak, basal rosette. Plant 1 to 3 feet in height.

Distribution: Throughout most of North America except for the south.

Habitat: Hound's Tongue is a weed of disturbed habitats such as roadsides, fields, and empty lots.

Flowering period: May to July.

Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum officinale)

Similar Species:

Wild Comfrey (Cynoglossum virginianum)

 

Similar Species