General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Biennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 6a -23.3 °C (-10 °F) to -20.6 °C (-5 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 9b
Plant Height: 40-60 cm
Plant Spread: 30 cm
Leaves: Unusual foliage color
Flowers: Showy
Flower Time: Late spring or early summer
Summer
Late summer or early fall
Uses: Medicinal Herb
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Propagation: Seeds: Self fertile
Provide darkness
Needs specific temperature: sow at max. 5 degrees C
Depth to plant seed: 1 cm
Sow in situ
Can handle transplanting
Pollinators: Various insects
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil

Image
Common names
  • Houndstongue
  • Hound's Tongue
  • Gypsyflower
  • Common Hound's Tongue
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Cynoglossum officinale
  • Synonym: Cynoglossum album

Photo Gallery
Location: My garden in Belgium
Date: 2010-08-23
Location: Belgium
Date: 2007-09-25
Location: My garden in Belgium
Date: 2010-08-23
Location: Garfield, WA
Date: 2008-06-08
The nodding, tiny, burgundy colored flowers of the Houndstongue p
Location: Home
Date: 2018-04-07
Noxious Weed
Location: In the dunes, De Panne, Belgian coast
Date: 2013-06-16
Young seed pods
Location: In the dunes, De Panne, Belgian coast
Date: 2013-06-01
Location: Praha - Zadní Kopanina
Photo courtesy of: Michael Kesl
Location: In the dunes, Belgian coast, De Panne.
Date: 2013-05-25
Location: In the dunes, Belgian coast, De Panne.
Date: 2013-05-25
Location: Praha - Zadní Kopanina, var. alba
Photo courtesy of: Michael Kesl
Location: Polyommatus icarus, Natural monument Na Popovickém kopci CZ
Date: 2012-05-17
Photo courtesy of: Rigel7
Location: nearby Gedersdorf, district Krems-Land, Lower Austria 
Date: 2014-06-07
Photo courtesy of: Stefan.lefnaer
Location: Basal leaf rosette
Photo courtesy of: Matt Lavin

Date: 2004-05-29
Photo courtesy of: TeunSpaans

Photo courtesy of: Sten Porse
Location: Botanical Garden KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany
Date: 2009-05-28
Photo courtesy of: H. Zell

Date: 2014-12-31
Photo courtesy of: Matt Lavin

Date: 2011-08-07
Photo courtesy of: Philipp Weigell
Comments:
  • Posted by Mindy03 (Delta KY) on Apr 23, 2012 12:22 PM concerning plant:
    Honey bees get nectar and pollen from this plant.
  • Posted by Cakeholemoon (Garfield, WA - Zone 6a) on Feb 21, 2018 10:35 PM concerning plant:
    Houndstongue is a beautiful plant in the spring. It boasts many tiny, nodding, burgundy-colored flowers. However, in the fall, this plant becomes a terrible weed to avoid at all costs. The beautiful little flowers spend their summer creating little tick-sized and shaped seeds that will stick to anything and everything that brushes by them! These plants can become invasive and can cause real problems for livestock and other animals.
Discussion Threads about this plant
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Cynoglossum officinale by valleylynn Nov 22, 2012 1:41 AM 2

« Add a new plant to the database

« The Plants Database Front Page

Today's site banner is by Zoia and is called "Volunteer"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.