Hound's Tongue

Genus Cynoglossum
Borage Family (Boraginaceae)





Hound's Tongue


Hound's Tongue
(Cynoglossum officinale)


This is a weedy plant that grows about 2 feet tall. It is a native of Europe and Asia, but now occurs all over the United States. It has the typically shaped Borage flower, with 5 petals fused into a tube at the base. The flower is a dark maroon red in color.
Some of the common names for the plant are dog-bur, wool-mat, and beggar's-lice. These names reflect a characteristic of the seeds -- they are covered with little barbs, which help them stick to fur or clothing and be distributed to other places.





Loafer Canyon
Wasatch Mountains
Utah County, Utah

References


Photographed
by Sandra Bray