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Hound's Tongue

Cynoglossum officinale. Borage Family.

Stem.--Clothed with soft hairs. Leaves.--Alternate; hairy; the upper ones lance-shaped; clasping somewhat by a rounded or heart-shaped base. Flowers.--Purplish-red; growing in a curved raceme-like cluster which straightens as the blossoms expand. Calyx.--Five-parted. Corolla.--Funnel-form; five-lobed. Stamens.--Five. Pistil.--One. Fruit.-A large nutlet roughened with barbed or hooked prickles. This coarse plant, whose disagreeable odor strongly suggests mice, is not only a troublesome weed in pasture-land but a special annoyance to wool-growers, as its prickly fruit adheres with pertinacity to the fleece of sheep. Its common name is a translation of its generic title and refers to the shape and texture of the leaves. The dull red flowers appear in summer.