''Ajuga reptans'' is commonly known as bugle, blue bugle, bugleherb, bugleweed, carpetweed, carpet bugleweed, and common bugle, and traditionally but less commonly as

St. Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...

plant. It is an herbaceous

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to Europe. It is

invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...

in parts of North America. It is also a component of purple moor grass and rush pastures, a Biodiversity Action Plan habitat in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. ''Ajuga reptans'' is a dense spreading groundcover with dark green leaves with purple highlights. The leaves grow tall. In spring the plant sends up tall flower stalks bearing many purple flowers. The flowers are frequently visited by flies, such as '' Rhingia campestris''.

Description

''Ajuga reptans'' is a sprawling perennial herbParnell. J. and Curtis, T. 2012. ''Webb's An Irish Flora''. Cork University Press. with erect flowering stems and grows to a height of about . The stems are square in

cross-section Cross section may refer to: * Cross section (geometry) ** Cross-sectional views in architecture & engineering 3D *Cross section (geology) * Cross section (electronics) * Radar cross section, measure of detectability * Cross section (physics) **Ab ...

with hairs on two sides. The plant has runners that spread across the surface of the ground. The purplish-green, stalked leaves are in opposite pairs. The leaf blades are hairless and are elliptical or ovate with a rounded tip and shallowly rounded teeth on the margin. The inflorescence forms a dense raceme composed of whorls of blue flowers, each with dark veins on the lower lip. The

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

has five toothed lobes and the corolla forms a two-lipped flower about long with a short tube. The upper lip of each flower is short and flat with a smooth edge, and the lower lip is three-lobed, the central lobe being the largest, flat with a notched tip. There are four stamens, two long and two short, which are longer than the corolla and are attached to the tube. The ovary is superior and the fruit is a schizocarp with four chambers.

Habitat

Woods and rough pastures.

Distribution

Common in Ireland, and throughout

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

Pollination

The species is monoecious, with male and female flowers on the same plant. Pollination is by bees or Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies).

Uses

Grown as a garden plant it provides useful groundcover. Numerous cultivars have been selected, of which 'Catlin's Giant' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Bugle is also known as "carpenter's herb" for its supposed ability to stem bleeding. Bugle is a primary nectar source of the pearl-bordered fritillary and the

small pearl-bordered fritillary ''Boloria selene'', known in Europe as the small pearl-bordered fritillary and in North America as the silver-bordered fritillary, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found across Europe, Asia and North America, and fe ...

. It is a secondary nectar source of the brimstone, chequered skipper, common blue,

cryptic wood white ''Leptidea reali'', the Réal's wood white, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. Appearance, behaviour and distribution Réal's wood white has been found in many western Europe countries but has not been found in Britain. In Ireland, wher ...

dingy skipper The Dingy Skipper (''Erynnis tages'') is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. Description ''Erynnis tages'' is different from other skippers because of the predominantly monochrome, gray-brown wing coloration and the marbling, which is only ...

, Duke of Burgundy, green-veined white,

grizzled skipper ''Pyrgus'' is a genus in the skippers butterfly family, Hesperiidae, known as the grizzled skippers. The name "checkered" or "chequered skipper" may also be applied to some species, but also refers to species in the genera ''Burnsius'' and '' ...

, heath fritillary, holly blue, large blue, large skipper, large white, marsh fritillary, orange-tip, painted lady, small white, and wood white butterflies. ''Ajuga reptans'' herb has been used in traditional Austrian medicine internally as a tea for the treatment of disorders related to the respiratory tract.

References

*
Bracken for Butterflies
leaflet by Butterfly Conservation

External links

Ohio State University: ''Ajuga reptans''

Plants For A Future: ''Ajuga reptans''

USDA Plants Profile: ''Ajuga reptans''

Plants For A Future - Ajuga reptans L
{{Taxonbar, from=Q157249 reptans Flora of Europe Garden plants of Europe Groundcovers Medicinal plants of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus