Ajuga reptans

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Ajuga reptans
Ajuga reptans 20070429 132711 1.jpg
(MHNT) Ajuga reptans - Inflorescence.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Ajuga
Species:
A. reptans
Binomial name
Ajuga reptans
L.

Ajuga reptans is commonly known as bugle, blue bugle, bugleherb, bugleweed, carpetweed, carpet bugleweed, and common bugle, and traditionally however less commonly as St. Lawrence plant. It is an herbaceous flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to Europe. It is invasive in parts of North America. It is also a component of purple moor grass and rush pastures, a Biodiversity Action Plan habitat in the United Kingdom.

Contents

Ajuga reptans is a dense spreading groundcover with dark green leaves with purple highlights. The leaves grow 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in) tall. In spring the plant sends up 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in) tall flower stalks bearing many purple flowers. The flowers are frequently visited by flies, such as Rhingia campestris . [1]

Description

A young plant. Ajuga reptans young plant.JPG
A young plant.

Ajuga reptans is a sprawling perennial herb [2] with erect flowering stems and grows to a height of about 10 to 35 cm (4 to 14 in). The stems are square in cross-section with hairs on two sides. The plant has runners that spread across the surface of the ground. The purplish-green, stalked leaves are in opposite pairs. The leaf blades are hairless and are elliptical or ovate with a rounded tip and shallowly rounded teeth on the margin. The inflorescence forms a dense raceme composed of whorls of blue flowers, each with dark veins on the lower lip. The calyx has five toothed lobes and the corolla forms a two-lipped flower about 14 to 17 mm (0.6 to 0.7 in) long with a short tube. The upper lip of each flower is short and flat with a smooth edge, and the lower lip is three-lobed, the central lobe being the largest, flat with a notched tip. There are four stamens, two long and two short, which are longer than the corolla and are attached to the tube. The ovary is superior and the fruit is a schizocarp with four chambers. [3]

Habitat

Woods and rough pastures. [2]

Distribution

Common in Ireland, [4] and throughout Great Britain. [5]

Pollination

The species is monoecious, with male and female flowers on the same plant. Pollination is by bees or Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). [6]

Uses

Flower Ajuga reptans atropurpurea 0.11 R.jpg
Flower

Grown as a garden plant it provides useful groundcover. Numerous cultivars have been selected, of which 'Catlin's Giant' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [7] [8]

Bugle is also known as "carpenter's herb" for its supposed ability to stem bleeding. [9]

Bugle is a primary nectar source of the pearl-bordered fritillary and the small pearl-bordered fritillary. It is a secondary nectar source of the brimstone, chequered skipper, common blue, cryptic wood white, dingy skipper, Duke of Burgundy, green-veined white, grizzled skipper, heath fritillary, holly blue, large blue, large skipper, large white, marsh fritillary, orange-tip, painted lady, small white, and wood white butterflies. [10]

Ajuga reptans herb has been used in traditional Austrian medicine internally as a tea for the treatment of disorders related to the respiratory tract. [11]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Lobularia maritima</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Lycopus europaeus</i> Species of flowering plant

Lycopus europaeus, common names gypsywort, gipsywort, bugleweed, European bugleweed and water horehound, is a perennial plant in the genus Lycopus, native to Europe and Asia, and naturalized elsewhere. Another species, Lycopus americanus has also been erroneously called L. europaeus.

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<i>Lavandula angustifolia</i> Species of plant

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<i>Lamium amplexicaule</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Salvia pratensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Salvia pratensis, the meadow clary or meadow sage, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, western Asia and northern Africa. The Latin specific epithet pratensis means "of meadows", referring to its preferred habitat. It also grows in scrub edges and woodland borders.

<i>Phlox divaricata</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Phlox pilosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Phlox pilosa, the downy phlox or prairie phlox, is an herbaceous plant in the family Polemoniaceae. It is native to eastern North America, where it is found in open areas such as prairies and woodlands.

<i>Ajuga pyramidalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Ajuga pyramidalis, commonly known as pyramidal bugle, is a flowering plant of the genus Ajuga in the family Lamiaceae. It is a native plant in Europe.

<i>Ajuga chamaepitys</i> Species of flowering plant

Ajuga chamaepitys is a species of flowering plant of the family Lamiaceae. Popularly known as yellow bugle, chian bugle or ground-pine, the plant has many of the same characteristics and properties as Ajuga reptans. A. chamaepitys can be found in Europe, the Eastern part of the Mediterranean, and North Africa.

<i>Ajuga genevensis</i> Species of flowering plant

A. genevensis is a herbaceous flowering plant native to Europe. It is less common than its relative, Ajuga reptans.

<i>Salvia</i> Largest genus of plants in the mint family

Salvia is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with nearly 1000 species of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, Salvia is part of the tribe Mentheae within the subfamily Nepetoideae. One of several genera commonly referred to as sage, it includes two widely used herbs, Salvia officinalis and Salvia rosmarinus.

<i>Clitoria fragrans</i> Species of legume

Clitoria fragrans is a rare species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name pigeon wings, or sweet-scented pigeon wings. It is endemic to Central Florida, where it was known most recently from 62 occurrences, but no current estimates of the total global population are available. The plant is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

<i>Anisomeles malabarica</i> Species of flowering plant

Anisomeles malabarica, more commonly known as the Malabar catmint, is a species of herbaceous shrub in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of India, and Sri Lanka, but can also be found in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Myanamar, Bismarck Archipelago, Mauritius, Andaman Is. and Réunion. Growing up to 2 m high, it has narrow green leaves 3–8 cm in length, and 1.5–3 cm wide. It is pollinated by sunbirds and carpenter bees, and bears purple flowers in mid spring, though it may also bear the flowers throughout the year. Originally used in Sri Lankan and Hindi folk medicine, the current main uses are medicinal, aromatics and cosmetics.

<i>Ajuga japonica</i> Species of flowering plant

Ajuga japonica is a herbaceous flowering plant native to Japan. The species grows as a groundcover on the forest floor, usually near streams. It is often found in large clusters, due to its spreading and seeding habit. It grows along the ground by stolons, and is usually 8–20 cm (3–8 in) high, including the flowers. It flowers between late April and late May.

<i>Ajuga decumbens</i> Species of flowering plant

Ajuga decumbens is a herbaceous flowering plant native to China, Japan and Korea. It is commonly found in lightly forested sunny areas, such as meadows and roadsides between 400 and 2300 metres in altitude. This plant grows as a groundcover, and the leaf layer is usually no more than 100 millimetres tall. It flowers between April and June.

References

  1. Van Der Kooi, C. J.; Pen, I.; Staal, M.; Stavenga, D. G.; Elzenga, J. T. M. (2015). "Competition for pollinators and intra-communal spectral dissimilarity of flowers". Plant Biology. 18 (1): 56–62. doi:10.1111/plb.12328. PMID   25754608.
  2. 1 2 Parnell. J. and Curtis, T. 2012. Webb's An Irish Flora. Cork University Press. ISBN   978-185918-4783
  3. "Blue bugle: Ajuga reptans". NatureGate. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
  4. Scannell, M.J.P. and Synnott, D.M. 1972 Dublin. Stationery Office
  5. Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E.F. 1968. Excursion Flora of the British Isles. Second Edition. Cambridge University Press ISBN   0-521-04656-4
  6. Plants For A Future - Ajuga reptans L
  7. "Ajuga reptans AGM". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  8. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. November 2018. p. 4. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  9. Howard, Michael (1987). Traditional Folk Remedies Century. p.108
  10. "Nectar Sources". UKButterflies.co.uk. 2002–2014.
  11. Vogl, S; Picker, P; Mihaly-Bison, J; Fakhrudin, N; Atanasov, A. G.; Heiss, E. H.; Wawrosch, C; Reznicek, G; Dirsch, V. M.; Saukel, J; Kopp, B (2013). "Ethnopharmacological in vitro studies on Austria's folk medicine--an unexplored lore in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of 71 Austrian traditional herbal drugs". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 149 (3): 750–71. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2013.06.007. PMC   3791396 . PMID   23770053.