SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lycopus americnus
COMMON NAMES: Common Bugleweed, American Water Horehound, Water Horehound
BLOOM TIME: July, Aug, Sept
PLANT PROFILE:
- Grows up to 40 in. tall & is sparingly branched.
- The 3 in. leaves are spiked & opposite each other.
- Flowers bloom where the leaves meet on the stem appearing purplish in bright sun.
- Flowers are small with lobes in a tube shape.
- This member of the mint family with a minty scent was used in folk remedies for cough, giving it the alternate name of “horehound”.
- Habitat: partial to full sun in wet conditions.
- Common plant in all Illinois counties.
INSECT/ANIMAL INTERACTIONS:
- A variety of insects visit the flowers, primarily for nectar, especially short-tongued bees, wasps, and flies.
- Other floral visitors include long-tongued bees, butterflies, skippers, and beetles.
- The caterpillars of the Hermit Sphinx feed on the foliage of this and other members of the Mint family.
- Other insect feeders include aphids which feeds on the roots during the summer.
- The leaves are bitter-tasting & not often eaten by mammalian herbivores.