Cynoglossum officinale

Cynoglossum officinale, better known as the Common Hound's-tongue or Gypsywort, is a species of our native flora that was once used as a medicinal plant before it was discovered to be toxic, particularly to livestock but also to humans. Often considered a biennial, it blooms in the second year after sowing. Its small, rather inconspicuous flowers, which change in coloUr, range from bluish-violet to reddish-purple and then to dark purple. After pollination, fruits resembling small balls covered in hooks form. The Common Hound's-tongue is sown under cover in March-April or directly in the open ground in May.

Cynoglossum officinale belongs to the Boraginaceae family, just like borage and forget-me-nots. It is native to temperate zones of Europe, Asia, and North America, and is primarily found in uncultivated areas, on rocky slopes, in debris, and along paths. In the first year, this hound's-tongue forms a basal rosette composed of petiolate leaves, greyish-green in colour, elliptical to oblong in shape, measuring between 8 and 12cm (3 and 5in) long. From May of the following year, upright and branched stems rise from the rosette. They bear long, soft, pointed, trailing leaves with sheathing bases. At their ends, a flexible inflorescence called a cyme forms. They bear small flowers measuring 3 to 6mm in diameter, each composed of a tubular corolla opening into 5 spread-out lobes. Their colour changes from bluish-violet to reddish-purple and finally to dark purple. The fruits, called achenes, are covered in small hooked prickles. These fruits cling to anything they touch, ensuring their dispersal by furry animals or humans. When crushed, the vegetation of this hound's-tongue emits an odor reminiscent of mice. The entire plant contains mucilage, tannins, and liver-toxic alkaloids. Nowadays, this medicinal plant is no longer used internally or in homeopathy.

 
The Common Hound's-tongue possesses the robustness and hardiness of wild plants. This simple field flower is ideal for brightening up neglected areas of the garden, including poor soils, alongside Phacelia, sainfoin, cornflowers, and vetches, for example.