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Figure 27.Bugleweed (Lycopus virginicus) |
Habitat and range.Bugleweed is a native herb frequenting wet, shady places from Canada to Florida, Missouri, and Nebraska.
Description.This herb has long, threadlike runners and a bluntly 4-angled, smooth, slender, erect stem from 6 inches to 2 feet in height. The leaves are about 2 inches in length, pointed, rather narrow, and dark green or of a purplish tinge. The whitish flowers, which appear from about July to September, are small, tubular, and bell-shaped, and are produced in dense clusters in the axils of the leaves. They are followed by four nutlets. The plant has a rather pleasant, mintlike odor, but a disagreeable bitter taste.
Part used.The entire herb, gathered during the flowering period.