Bright purple, tubular flowers in a dense oblong spike, sometimes broken by a bare stem, above a rosette of blunt-toothed leaves on a square stem
Betony, Betonica officinalis.
Nature · Wildflowers & flowers
Betony
Native · flowers Jun–Oct · grassland, hedgebanks, heaths and woodland rides
Betonica officinalis — Lamiaceae (formerly Stachys officinalis)
A tufted, mint-family perennial of old grassland, hedgebanks and woodland rides, with dense spikes of bright reddish-purple flowers. Once the most prized of all medicinal herbs, it gave the proverb 'sell your coat and buy betony', and was planted in churchyards to keep away evil spirits. Its presence can signal ancient, long-established grassland.
How to spot them
- ▸Dense, oblong spikes of bright purple tubular flowers, two-lipped, with the spike often interrupted by a bare stem section below the head
- ▸A basal rosette of long-stalked, heart-based, blunt-toothed leaves; a few smaller, unstalked leaf pairs on the stem
- ▸Square, slightly hairy stem, typically up to about 60 cm
- ▸Not stinking or hairy like hedge woundwort, which has whorls of dull maroon flowers and coarse, nettle-like leaves
- ▸Grows in old, unimproved grassland, hedgebanks, heaths and woodland edges
How to know it
An old Italian proverb urges you to sell your coat and buy this plant, so highly was it valued as a remedy
Betony — 'Sell your coat and buy betony'.
Antonius Musa, physician to the Emperor Augustus, was said to have written a treatise showing that it cured 47 diseases
Betony (Grieve's A Modern Herbal).
Planted in medieval churchyards and worn as an amulet against evil spirits, bad dreams and 'fearful visions'
Betony.
Also known as bishop's wort or common hedgenettle, this purple-flowered mint-family plant can indicate ancient grassland
Betony (Wildlife Trusts).
The caterpillars of the grey pug moth can feed on this purple-flowered mint-family plant
Betony.
Quick-fire facts
- •Family Lamiaceae, the mint family; formerly Stachys officinalis, so 'wood betony' and 'bishop's wort' are alternative names
- •The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust gives a flowering season of June to October and notes it can indicate ancient grassland
- •A Grieve's Herbal history: an Italian proverb says 'sell your coat and buy betony' and the Spanish say 'he has as many virtues as betony'
- •Antonius Musa, physician to the Emperor Augustus, is said to have written a treatise crediting it with curing forty-seven diseases
- •In medieval England it was planted in churchyards and used as an amulet against evil spirits and bad dreams
- •Erasmus said it sanctified those who carried it; the herbalist Gerard said it preserved men from epidemic diseases
- •Its flower spike is 'interrupted', a bare stem section separating the clusters — a mark that distinguishes it from other members of the mint family
- •Rated Least Concern on the GB Red List; common and widespread in England and Wales, patchier in Scotland and rare in Northern Ireland
- •A foodplant for caterpillars of the grey pug moth, and popular with bees
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Sources
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust — Betony
- Mrs M. Grieve — A Modern Herbal: Betony, Wood