Identification
This native square-stemmed perennial grows up to 12 inches tall. Opposite lance-shaped to oval leaves have smooth or finely serrated margins (B). Its flowers emerge from a thick cylindrical structure at the tip of the stem (A). The tubular flower is divided at its tip into an upper and a lower lip. The upper, hood-like upper lip is blue or purple. The lower one is divided into 3 lobes; a larger, often fringed, white central and two smaller light purple side lobes.
Grows in lawns, gardens, along roadsides and in other moist locations, flowering from June through the end of the growing season. Although this plant is fairly common in eastern Nebraska, it rarely seen at either Fontenelle Forest or Neale Woods. Look for it in moister sites along woodland ravine or floodplain trails.
As the common names Self-Heal and Woundwort imply, this plant has been used in traditional medicine for a wide variety of medicinal purposes.
The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Roland Barth.