Hedge Woundwort
Stachys sylvaticus A distilled water of the flowers makes the heart merry, to make good a colour in the face and to make the vitall spirits more fresh and lively Nicholas Culpeper 1514-1541 Some people dislike hedge woundwort on account of its unpleasant smell and the nettle-like appearance of its leaves but as long as you don’t crush the leaves you can avoid the smell and although the leaves look nettle like they are pleasantly downy to touch. In fact, I like hedge woundwort and if you get up close to the flowers they have a beauty that is the equal of any orchid. For that reason, you should take time to get at eye level with the flowers and enjoy their rich, marbled purple red colour. Don’t be tempted to pick the flowers or crush the leaves though, on account of that smell. Hedge woundwort in the early morning sun. Taxonomy Hedge woundwort belongs to the Lamiaceae or dead-nettle family, look closely at it and you will see that it has features in common with other family m...