The Wonderful Weed Weekly Blog

To talk kindly about the weeds in my weekly blog, we first need to identify those weeds of which many people despise…!

I found the RHS website very useful please see here as well as how to tackle them.

I don’t really want to repeat what this brilliant website says, as my weekly blog wants to highlight the positive things about those weeds!

Weeds are also just being ‘themselves’; one of the many native plants of these Isles! They grow in soil and habitat in which they naturally like to grow in and often we are actually helping them greatly by providing a pleasant environment to thrive even more!

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The Deadnettle family or Lamiaceae: part 3

This week we continue with the last 3 genera in the Deadnettle family or Lamiaceae and its Subfamily 4: Nepetoideae which are the following:

Mentha aquatica or Water Mint
  • Nepeta cataria or Cat-mint
  • Glechoma hederacea or Ground-ivy
  • Prunella spp or Selfheals
  • Clinopodium spp. or Calamints
  • Origanum vulgare or Wild Marjoram
  • Thymus spp or Thymes
  • Lycopus europaeus or Gypsywort
  • Mentha or the Mints
  • Salvia or Sage

The first 6 genera and species were discussed in part 2 of the Lamiaceae.

And also see part 1 here

The following will be highlighted this week:

  • Lycopus europaeus or Gypsywort.
  • Mentha or Mints.
  • From this large genus, Salvia or Sage, only 2 are native: S. pratensis or Meadow Clary and S. verbenaca or Wild Clary.

Most information is copied from the Medicinal Flora, Wikipedia and other fabulous websites and links are provided on the various plants covered as well as on difficult scientific or medical terms.

Blue background for intersting facts, green background for various uses and pink for medicinal uses.

Continue reading “The Deadnettle family or Lamiaceae: part 3”

The Deadnettle family or Lamiaceae : part 2

Last week was part 1 of the Lamiaceae or Deadnettle family.

Pretty Ground Ivy or Glechoma hederacea in Subfamily Nepetoideae

This week I cover genus 12-22 from Stace, split into two subfamilies, which does make sense if you look at the arrangements of the flowers:

SUBFAMILY 3: AJUGOIDEAE (Genus 12-13)

  • 12) Teucrium or Germanders with 4 species
  • 13) Ajuga or Bugles with 3 species.

SUBFAMILY 4: NEPETOIDEAE (Genus 14-27) (Some genera are missing as these are non natives)

  • 14) Nepeta cataria or Catmint (archaeophyte)
  • 15) Glechoma hederacea or Ground-ivy
  • 16) Prunella or Selfheals with 1 possibly 2 native
  • 19) Clinopodium or Calamints
  • 21) Origanum vulgare or Wild Marjoram
  • 22) Thymus or Thymes

The following plants are covered in part 3

  • 23) Lycopus europaeus or Gypsywort
  • 24) Mentha or Mints. This is a difficult taxa for classification due to widespread hybridisation . But according to Stace; ‘with practice the scent of fresh plants is very helpful, but difficult to describe!’ Many are native but many will be introduced as escaped garden plants of course.
  • 27) From this large genus, Salvia or Sage, only 2 are native: S. pratensis or Meadow Clary and S. verbenaca or Wild Clary.

On the next page you can find the medicinal and other uses of these handsome weeds! Pictures by Matt Summers and very much grateful for all other + Wikipedia picture providers!! Blue background for general interest. Pink for medicinal uses. Most medicinal uses were found in Medicinal Flora. Green background for other uses and wildlife benefit. These were found mostly in PFAF and Wikipedia.

Continue reading “The Deadnettle family or Lamiaceae : part 2”

Introduction to My Wonderful Weeds Blog

To talk kindly about the weeds in my blog, we first need to identify those weeds of which many people despise…!

Common Ragwort is despised by horse owners in particular but lots of wildlife, including this house sparrow is depending on it! See more in this post. (Picture by Matt Summers)

A useful place to find this information is on the RHS website please see here. You can also find out how to tackle them. It mentions over 20 most troublesome weeds, for which I will hope to do a write up in the coming weeks.

Continue reading “Introduction to My Wonderful Weeds Blog”