# Stachys sylvatica

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{{Short description|Species of herb}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Wald-Ziest (Stachys sylvatica).jpg
|genus = Stachys
|species = sylvatica
|authority = [L.](/source/Carl_Linnaeus)
}}
{{Commons|Stachys sylvatica}}

'''''Stachys sylvatica''''', commonly known as '''hedge woundwort''',<ref name=BSBI07>{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17}}</ref> '''whitespot''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=STSY2|taxon=Stachys sylvatica|access-date=30 November 2015}}</ref> or sometimes as '''hedge nettle''', is a [perennial](/source/Perennial_plant) [herbaceous plant](/source/herbaceous_plant) growing to {{convert|80|cm|in|abbr=on}} tall in woodland and unmanaged [grassland](/source/grassland). In [temperate zone](/source/temperate_zone)s of the northern hemisphere it flowers in July and August. The flowers are purple. The leaves, when crushed or bruised, give off an unpleasant fetid smell.<ref>[Anne Pratt](/source/Anne_Pratt), ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=A1IDAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA125 Wild Flowers]'', London, 1852, pp. 125–126.</ref>

==Description==
Hedge woundwort is an erect perennial plant with slender underground runners. The stem branches occasionally and is squarish and hairy, with glandular hairs on the upper part of the plant. The nodes are widely spaced, and the mid-green, stalked leaves are in opposite pairs. The leaf blades are hairy, have a [cordate base](/source/Leaf_shape) and are ovate with a blunt tip and with regular large teeth on the margin. The [inflorescence](/source/inflorescence) forms a dense terminal spike and is composed of dense whorls of purple flowers with white markings. The calyx has five lobes and the corolla forms a two-lipped flower about {{convert|12|to|18|mm|2|abbr=on}} long with a fused tube. The upper lip of each flower is convex with dense, glandular hairs and the lower lip is three-lobed, the central lobe being the largest. There are four stamens, two long and two short, the [gynoecium](/source/gynoecium) has two fused carpels and the fruit is a four-chambered [schizocarp](/source/schizocarp). The plant has a slightly unpleasant smell.<ref name=NatureGate>{{cite web |url=http://www.luontoportti.com/suomi/en/kukkakasvit/hedge-woundwort |title=Hedge woundwort: ''Stachys sylvatica'' |publisher=NatureGate |access-date=2013-12-15}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
Hedge woundwort is native to Europe and central and western Asia. It grows in dappled shade at the edge of woods, in hedgerows and on rough ground.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tela-botanica.org/bdtfx-nn-65969 |title=''Stachys sylvatica'' |publisher=Botanique |access-date=2013-12-15}}</ref> It has been introduced into [New York state](/source/New_York_(state)), [Ontario](/source/Ontario), and [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand).<ref name="POWO_460020-1">{{cite web |title=''Stachys sylvatica'' L. |work=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew|url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:460020-1 |access-date=2022-07-15 }}</ref>

==Uses==
Hedge woundwort is popular with bees.<ref name=NatureGate/> Along with its close relatives [field woundwort](/source/Stachys_arvensis) and [marsh woundwort](/source/Stachys_palustris), as their common names suggest, they are used to promote the healing of wounds. The famous 17th century herbalist [John Gerard](/source/John_Gerard) was very impressed with its powers and used it extensively.<ref>{{cite web |author=McDougal, Kevin |date= |title=Hedge Woundwort |url=http://www.incredible-edible-todmorden.co.uk/apothecary/hedge-woundwort |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215110138/http://www.incredible-edible-todmorden.co.uk/apothecary/hedge-woundwort |archive-date=15 December 2013 |access-date= 12 April 2024|work=2013 Incredible Edible Todmorden |publisher=}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q157422}}

sylvatica
Category:Flora of temperate Asia
Category:Flora of Europe
Category:Plants described in 1753
Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Stachys sylvatica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stachys_sylvatica) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stachys_sylvatica?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.