Cynoglossum officinale L.
Common Houndstongue
Houndstongue is a native British biennial of the borage family, named for its soft, grey-green, tongue-shaped leaves that are covered in a downy felt. In its first year it forms a leafy rosette, then sends up branched stems carrying coiled sprays of small, funnel-shaped flowers in a distinctive dull maroon or purple-red.
About
Houndstongue is a native British biennial of the borage family, named for its soft, grey-green, tongue-shaped leaves that are covered in a downy felt. In its first year it forms a leafy rosette, then sends up branched stems carrying coiled sprays of small, funnel-shaped flowers in a distinctive dull maroon or purple-red. These appear through early and midsummer, roughly May to September, and give way to flattened, burr-like nutlets armed with hooked spines that catch in animal fur and clothing. The whole plant has a curious musty, mouse-like scent when handled.
It favours dry, base-rich and often calcareous ground, thriving on chalk and limestone grassland, sand dunes, coastal shingle, field edges and disturbed or rabbit-grazed banks in full sun. The flowers are worked by bees. Worth knowing that, like many of its relatives, it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids and is toxic to livestock, so it suits well-drained dune and grassland mixes rather than grazed pasture.
Also known as
Gypsy-flower · Gypsyflower · Hound's Tongue · Hound's-tongue · Houndstongue
Synonyms
Cynoglossum album · Cynoglossum angustifolium · Cynoglossum bicolor · Cynoglossum bracteolatum · Cynoglossum castellanum · Cynoglossum foetens · Cynoglossum hybridum · Cynoglossum nebrodense areolatum · Cynoglossum officinale bicolor · Cynoglossum officinale canescens · Cynoglossum officinale concolor
Beta — under active development. This catalogue is still being built and accuracy-checked. The information here (including plant identifications, British native status, soil and sun/shade preferences) is provided in good faith for general guidance only and may contain errors or omissions. It must not be relied upon on its own — please confirm details with us before making planting, specification, foraging or purchasing decisions, and never eat or medicinally use any plant based on this catalogue alone, as some species are toxic. To the extent permitted by law, Phoenix Amenity Supplies accepts no liability for any loss arising from use of this information.