Black horehound grows along hedgerows and roadside verges, and on waste grounds. It is a common, perhaps unremarkable, plant with one defining feature - its pungent, rotten smell. This smell, particularly apparent when the leaves are crushed, keeps herbivores away and gives it a local name of 'Stinking roger' in some places. It flowers between June and September.
How to identify
Black horehound has hairy, oval or heart-shaped leaves, with toothed edges, that may turn black after the plant has flowered. The pinky-purple, 'hooded' flowers are arranged in whorls around the top of its stems.
Distribution
Mainly found in England and parts of Wales.
Did you know?
Black horehound has a long tradition in herbal medicine and has been used to treat a range of issues from respiratory problems to travel sickness, depression to gout.
