houndstongue

Cynoglossum officinale L.

Description from Invasive.org

Appearance
Cynoglossum officinale is a biennial plant that can grow from 8-48 in. (0.2-1.2 m) tall. The first year’s growth is strictly vegetative with flowering occurs the second year.
Foliage
The first year, the basal leaves are petiolate, elliptical, dark green and 6-8 in. (15.2-20.3 cm) long. The leaves on the flowering stem are alternate and narrower towards the top of the plant.
Flowers
In the early summer, flowers appear in racemes from the axils of the upper leaves. Flowers are reddish-purple with a five-lobed corolla.
Fruit
Each flower can produce up to 4 fruits. The fruits are nutlets, the surfaces of which are flat and densely covered with small, barbed hooks (glochidia) that facilitate dispersal by animals.
Ecological Threat
Cynoglossum officinale invades disturbed areas, roadsides, rangeland, old fields and meadows, forest margins, riparian zones and coastal sand dunes. It is native to Eurasia.

Selected Images from Invasive.org

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Plant(s)
Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, , Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Flower(s)
Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, , Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Flower(s)
Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, , Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Fruit(s)
Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, , Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Fruit(s)
Kurt Stueber, Max-Planck-Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Bugwood.org
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Plant(s)
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
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Plant(s) Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 3: 76.
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database , USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
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Seed(s)
Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
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Flower(s)
Joseph M. DiTomaso, University of California - Davis, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage

Distribution