Lycopus virginicus
Lycopus virginicus Virginia bugleweed
Add to MyPlants
View Locations
This perennial belonging to the mint family is known as Virginia water-horehound or Virginia bugleweed. Virginia bugleweed, which blooms from July to September, has tiny white tubular flowers with 4 short lobes arranged in dense clusters in the leaf axils along a light green to purple square, erect stem that is sparsely covered in short hairs. Each flower has 1 pistil and 2 stamens that do not extend beyond the corolla as well as a light green, short-tubular calyx with 5 teeth. Following the blooming period, the plant produces a set of four obovoid, flat‑topped nutlets.
Medium green, lanceolate to ovate leaves with coarsely toothed margins grow oppositely along the stem. The upper surface is smooth, while the underside is slightly hairy, especially along the veins. Leaves measure 2–4 inches long and ⅔–2 inches wide.
Growing 1 to 3 feet tall, this wetland perennial occurs in marshes, swamps, floodplain thickets, soggy meadows, and along the edges of lakes, ponds, and slow streams. It spreads by underground rhizomes and often forms loose to dense colonies in consistently wet soils. It is native to the eastern and central United States, where it is common in wetlands from the Gulf Coast north to the upper Midwest and east to the Atlantic.
This species can be confused with other Lycopus species such as Lycopus uniflorus (Northern bugleweed) and Lycopus americanus (American bugleweed), as all have small white flowers and occur in wetland habitats. However, Virginia water‑horehound can be distinguished by its broader, coarsely toothed leaves, its calyx with 5 relatively broad triangular teeth. It also typically grows taller than L. uniflorus.
Habitat & Range
Frequent in moist woods, stream banks, swamps, and wet ditches. Prefers partial to full shade and wet to very wet soils.
Present throughout the state.
Range: Native to the eastern and central United States from the Gulf Coast north to the upper Midwest and east to the Atlantic.
| EMP: | OBL |
|---|---|
| NCNE: | OBL |
Phenology
Flowers July to September. Blooming period is 8 to 10 weeks.
Characteristics
Inflorescence dense axilary clusters forming tight whorls of very small,white, short-tubular flowers
Flowers very small, white (sometimes with faint pinkish tinges), short‑tubular; corolla with 4 short lobes; 2 included stamens, 1 pistil; calyx light green with 5 ovate to triangular‑ovate, slightly spreading lobes; corolla tube barely exceeding the calyx
Leaves opposite, medium green, lanceolate to ovate or elliptic; acuminate, coarsely serrate; hairless upper surface with a slightly pubescent bottom surface; 2 to 4 ″ long, ⅔ to 2 ″ wide
Stems erect, light green to purple; 4-angled (square), smooth or slightly pubescent; stolons long
Rhizomes slender, creeping
Fruit dry schizocarp with 4 obovoid, flat-topped small nutlets; one seed per nutlet
Height 1 to 3 feet
Similar Species
L. uniflorus's leaf margins have small, widely spaced, unlobed teeth, while leaf margins of L. virginicus have coarser, more frequent, sometimes shallowly lobed teeth.
L. uniflorus calyx has 4 lobes while L. virginicus's has 5.
L. uniflorus has narrower, smoother leaves while L. virginicus has broader leaves that taper more abruptly at the base and are often sparsely hairy beneath.
Plant Codes
S-rank: S5 (Secure)
G-rank: G5 (Secure)
Ecology
Insects such as small bees, wasps, and syrphid flies visit the flowers for nectar and pollen.
The foliage may host occasional generalist herbivores and leaf‑mining insects, but no specialist Lepidoptera are known to rely on this species.
Virginia bugleweed is closely tied to saturated soils in marshes, swamps, floodplain forests, and stream margins, where its stoloniferous growth helps it form colonies in consistently wet ground.
Lycopus virginicus Virginia bugleweed
Comments
Have you spotted this plant in your area? We'd love to hear about your experience! Share your comments or questions about the plant below. Comments are moderated before posting.