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Cynoglossum officinale
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	(unplaced)
Family:	Boraginaceae
Genus:	Cynoglossum
Species:	C. officinale
Binomial name
Cynoglossum officinale L.

Cynoglossum officinale ^[1][2] (houndstongue, dog's tongue, gypsy flower, and rats and mice due to its smell ) is a herbaceous plant of the family Boraginaceae, found in most parts of Europe, and also North America where it was accidentally introduced.[2]

Growth

It can be either annual or biennial, with reddish-purple flowers blooming between May and September. It lives in wet places, waste land and hedges.

Folklore

The name houndstongue comes from the belief that it could, if a leaf was worn in the shoe, ward off dog attacks.

Herbalism

Herbalists use the plant as a treatment for piles, lung diseases and persistent coughs. Houndstongue ointment is said to cure baldness, and can be used for sores and ulcers. Not all of these uses are supported by scientific evidence.^[3]

Toxicity

Cynoglossum officinale contains tumorigenic pyrrolizidine alkaloids.^[4]

Notes

References

• Blanchan, Neltje (2002). Wild Flowers: An Aid to Knowledge of our Wild Flowers and their Insect Visitors. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  

From Wikispecies

Cynoglossum officinale

Taxonavigation

Classification System: APG II (down to family level)

Main Page
Cladus: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiospermae
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Euasterids I
Ordines: Unassigned Euasterids I
Familia: Boraginaceae
Subfamilia: Boraginoideae
Genus:Cynoglossum
Species: Cynoglossum officinale

Name

Cynoglossum officinale L.

References

• Species Plantarum 1:134. 1753
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Data from 07-Oct-06]. [1]

Vernacular names

For more multimedia, look at Cynoglossum officinale on Wikimedia Commons.