Betony

Betony - Stachys officinalis

Alternative names
Betonica officinalis
Description

Short to tall softly hairy plant with erect stems and persistent basal leaf rosettes. Leaves oblong to oval, coarsely toothed, the uppermost unstalked. Flowers usually bright reddish purple 12 to 18 mm long the whorls forming a dense oblong spike.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Permanent grassland, heaths and woodland edge.

When to see it

June to October.

Life History

Perennial

UK Status

Fairly frequent over much of Britain, but scarce in most of Scotland and East Anglia.

VC55 Status

Fairly frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 172 of the 617 tetrads.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

All NatureSpot records

Photo of the association

Wachtliella stachydis

The larva of the gall midge Wachtliella stachydis causes galls on Hedge Woundwort or Betony.  Shoot-tip leaves are curled, thickened and often yellowed. The flowerbuds remain closed with enlarged calyces, and are more hairy than usual..  Larvae inside are orange when mature, white when young.

Photo of the association

Puccinia betonicae

Puccinia betonicae is a rust fungus which causes galls on the leaves of Betony. There is no host alternation, and only brown telia are produced