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NOXIOUS
WEED |
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Cynoglossum
officinale
(Hound's Tongue) Boraginaceae (Forget-Me-Not Family) Foothills, montane. Fields, openings. Summer. This tall, clumpy, alien plant grows in meadows and disturbed areas. It spreads easily and you will find many of its long, narrow, pointed, upward pointing clusters of leaves dotting infected areas. Flowers are numerous, blue/red, and small. The plant produces an abundance of almost quarter inch, flattened, round seeds that are Velcro-like in their ability to cling -- to your socks, your dog's hair, everything. The plant is toxic and can cause liver failure in horses and cattle; it is obviously, therefore, also not a favorite of ranchers. It is on noxious weed lists in a number of states. "Cynoglossum", Greek for "dog's tongue", was given for the resemblance (in someone's view) of the long, narrow, textured leaves to a dog's tongue. "Officinale" indicates that the plant was sold as a medicinal herb in an "office", a former Latin term for an apothecary, a pharmacy. |
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Cynoglossum
officinale
(Hound's Tongue) Boraginaceae (Forget-Me-Not Family) Foothills, montane. Fields, openings. Summer. |
Range map © John Kartesz,
County Color Key
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Range map for Cynoglossum officinale |