American water horehound (Plants of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque)

American water horehound

Lycopus americanus

Summary ⁶

Lycopus americanus, with common names that include American water horehound and American bugleweed, is a member of the genus Lycopus and blooms in late summer. It is a perennial plant and ranges in height from 1-3 feet with very few branches.

Botanical Information ⁷

Lycopus americanus, or commonly known as American water horehound or bugleweed, is a common plant that grows throughout the US and Canada. It is sometimes known as bugleweed due to the flower resembling the musical instrument, the bugle. Many people consider it a weed or invasive. It has bluish green leaves that are large and serrated. It releases its seeds by making a set of 4 nutlets that form a square. Each nutlet contains a single seed. This plant blooms from July to September. A small dense cluster of 1/8-inch white flowers surrounds leaf axils along much of the stem, blooming from the bottom of the plant up. Usually not all flowers in a cluster are open at the same time. Flowers are often tiny pinkish purple with spots on the inside of the petals.

Ecological Information ⁸

American water horehound is native throughout most of the United States. Its favorite habitat is wetlands, wet damp soil, and places with plenty of water. This plant is prefers to grow in partial shade.

Ethnobotanical Information ⁸

American water horehound has been used for soothing coughs, thyroid issues, and according to the Native American Ethnobotany Database, the whole plant was used by the Meskwaki Nation to ease stomach cramps. (Note: Ethnobotanical reports often lack important contextual information and relevant traditional ecological knowledge.)

Resources ⁹

Minnesota Wildflowers. (n.d.). Lycopus americanus (American Water Horehound). Retrieved October28, 2021, from https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/american-water-horehound

Native American Ethnobotany Database. (n.d.). Lamiaceae Lycopus americanus. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from
http://naeb.brit.org/uses/21523/

Plants for a Future. (n.d). Lycopus americanus. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lycopus+americanus

University of Texas. (n.d). Lycopus americanus. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LYAM

United States Department of Agriculture. (2014). Lycopus americanus Muhl. Ex W.P.C. Barton. In
PLANTS Database. Retrieved September 8, 2021, from https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=LYAM

About the Author ⁸

Student author(s)*: Alejandro and Victor (age 13) from South Valley Academy

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/

Sources and Credits

(c) Dan Mullen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/8583446@N05/2694060074/
(c) dogtooth77, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/53817483@N00/20425719504/
(c) Charles de Mille-Isles, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/demartigny/6104497562/
(c) Dan Mullen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/8583446@N05/11273151616/
(c) Kerry Woods, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/93854456@N03/38236946522/
Adapted by caseynm from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycopus_americanus
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) kristen_himm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by Kiley Spurlock from a work by (c) kristen_himm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

Range Map

iNat Map

Type	herb
Uses	medicinal
Habitat	Wetlands
Native	yes
Flower	white to pink
Life cycle	perennial

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