Irish wildflowers BSBI map

Betony, Betonica officinalis, Lus beatha

Betony
Betonica officinalis (Stachys officinalis)
Lus beatha
Family: Lamiaceae

Flowering time: June-October. Perennial. Native.

Whorls of purple-red flowers in dense spikes, the calyx with bristle-pointed teeth. Basal leaf-rosettes with stalked, coarsely blunt-toothed leaves, the stem leaves paired and un-stalked. A slightly hairy plant, height 25-60cm.

Very rare, on light acidic or neutral/calcareous soils on grassland, heaths and at the edge of woodland. Mainly recorded from SW and SE Ireland. An endangered species, covered by the 1999 Flora Protection Order.


Betony, Betonica officinalis, Lus beatha

Betony, Betonica officinalis, Lus beatha
Betony, Betonica officinalis (Stachys officinalis), Lus beatha

Please Contact me if you find mistakes. All images are copyright.