Ontario Weeds: Heal-all
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Excerpt from Publication 505, Ontario Weeds,
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Table of Contents
- Name
- Other Names
- Family
- General Description
- Stems and Roots
- Flowers and Fruit
- Habitat
- Similar Species
- Related Links
Name: Heal-all, Prunella vulgaris
L.,
Other Names: prunelle vulgaire, Self-heal,
prunelle, prunelle commune, herbe au charpentier, brunelle commune,
brunelle vulgaire
Family: Mint Family (Labiatae)
General Description: Perennial, reproducing
by seed and by somewhat creeping stems.
Heal-all. A. Portion of a prostrate stem, rooting at the
nodes and producing leafy shoots from tip as well as nodes.
Heal-all. B. Top of flowering stem.
Stems & Roots: Stems prostrate
to nearly erect, 10-50cm (4-20in.) high, rooting at nodes touching
the soil, square, sharply ridged on the angles, rough-hairy; leaves
opposite (2 per node), ovate to elliptic or round, the lower ones
usually broader and with longer stalks, green or with a purplish
cast; margins smooth or shallowly and irregularly toothed.
Flowers & Fruit: Flowers in dense
spikes or head-like clusters at ends of stems, usually in 3's in
axils of very broad ovate or kidney-shaped bracts; calyx a 10-veined
tube ending in 1 broad, scoop-shaped upper tooth and 4 thin, bristle-like
lower teeth, often purplish; corolla blue-violet to purplish or
rarely pinkish or whitish, 10-20mm (2/5-4/5in.) long, of 5 united
petals, irregular, tubular, 2-lipped at the end, the upper lip rounded
and arched, the lower lip with 2 small side lobes and 1 larger central
lobe; each flower producing 4 nutlets ("seeds"), these
brownish to blackish, oval lengthwise but triangular in cross-section
with 2 flat sides and the third rounded. Flowers from June to August.
Habitat: Heal-all occurs both as a
native plant and an introduced ornamental which has escaped from
cultivation in most areas of Ontario. It is found in open woodland,
meadows, pastures, waste areas, roadsides, lawns, and around buildings.
Where subject to mowing or trampling such as in lawns or pastures,
Heal-all will grow as a prostrate plant with stems rooting at nearly
every node and producing only a few erect flowering branches; but
where it grows without disturbance or in crowded situations, the
stem may be erect and up to 50cm (20in.) high.
Similar Species: It is distinguished by
its square stems, leaves opposite, stalked and with smooth or irregularly
toothed margins, its compact head-like inflorescence with broad
ovate or kidney-shaped bracts, green or purplish calyx having the
1 upper lobe very broad, and its usually blue-violet flower with
2-lipped end.
Related Links
... on general Weed
topics
... on weed identification, order OMAFRA
Publication 505: Ontario Weeds
... on weed control, order OMAFRA
Publication 75: Guide To Weed Control
For more information:
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E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca