Family: Lamiaceae
American water-horehound, common water-horehound
[Lycopus americanus var. longii Muhl. ex W.P.C.Barton, more...]
Christopher Noll
Kitty Kohout
University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)
Etymology: Lycopus: from Greek lukos, "wolf," and pous, "foot"
Plants: erect, perennial, 4"-40" tall aromatic forb; stems square; long rhizomes without tubers
Leaves: opposite, usually with glandular dots, long and tapering to a short stalk, deep, coarse, irregular teeth
Flowers: white, 4-lobed with the upper lobe wider and notched, tiny, 2 stamens slightly longer than the petals; inflorescence tight, small, whorled clusters from the leaf axils
Fruits: 1-seeded nutlet,
Habitat: moist
Conservation Status: Native
Plants: erect, perennial, 4"-40" tall aromatic forb; stems square; long rhizomes without tubers
Leaves: opposite, usually with glandular dots, long and tapering to a short stalk, deep, coarse, irregular teeth
Flowers: white, 4-lobed with the upper lobe wider and notched, tiny, 2 stamens slightly longer than the petals; inflorescence tight, small, whorled clusters from the leaf axils
Fruits: 1-seeded nutlet,
Habitat: moist
Conservation Status: Native
Widespread throughout the state in all kinds of wet habitats including marshes, bogs, sedge meadows, wet to mesic prairies, fens, shores of ponds and lakes (including the Great Lakes), streambanks and riverbanks, sandbars and mudflats, hardwood swamps, cedar swamps, vernal pools in mesic woods, wet pastures, clay seepage bluffs, wet cliff faces, ditches, limestone pavements in Door Co., and even in depressions along railroad tracks. This species is often mistaken for L. uniflorus or L. virginicus but the larger, acuminate sepals and deeply lobed leaves readily set it apart. The shape of the sepals give the inflorescences a distinctly “spiky” look.
Floristic Rating: Coefficient of Conservatism = 4, Wetland Indicator = OBL USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos University of Wisconsin - Green Bay: Wetland Plants: Photos, descriptions, information USGS - Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Wetland Plants and Plant Communities of Minnesota and Wisconsin USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS): Images of seeds, fruits, embryos, etc. Dan Tenaglia's The Missouri Flora: Fabulous photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leave arrangement key. David G. Smith's "Delaware Wilflowers": Beautiful photographs; descriptions Illinois Wildflowers: Wonderful photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leaf arrangement key Southwest School of Botanical Medicine: Britton & Brown Illustrated Flora - 2nd Edition (1913) "An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada"
Kitty Kohout
Janice Stiefel
Janice Stiefel
Christopher Noll
Hugh H. Iltis
Hugh H. Iltis
