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Ajuga reptans
Also called Common Bugle, Ajuga, Blue Bugle, Bugleherb, Bugleweed, Carpet Bugle, Creeping Bugle
In Singapore: Carpet Bugleweed, Common Bugleweed (Grown in Singapore)
Ajuga reptans is a low, spreading perennial groundcover in the mint family, native to Europe. It is grown for its dark leaves and spring spikes of blue-purple flowers, and it spreads quickly by runners in moist, shaded spots.
Ajuga reptans is commonly known as bugle, blue bugle, bugleherb, bugleweed, carpetweed, carpet bugleweed, and common bugle, and traditionally (although less commonly) as St. Lawrence plant. It is an herbaceous flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to Europe. It is also a component of purple moor grass and rush pastures, a Biodiversity Action Plan habitat in the United Kingdom.
Ajuga reptans is a dense spreading groundcover with dark green leaves with purple highlights. The leaves grow 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in) tall. In spring the plant sends up 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in) tall flower stalks bearing many purple flowers. The flowers are frequently visited by flies, such as Rhingia campestris.
The natural habitat of Ajuga reptans spans across Europe, extending to the middle taiga subzone of northeastern Russia. The plant thrives in the understory of mixed and parvifoliate forests, benefiting from the higher soil nitrogen and lower acidity these forests provide compared to pure coniferous stands.
Grown as a garden plant it provides useful groundcover. Numerous cultivars have been selected, of which 'Catlin's Giant' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Ajuga arabica · Australian Bugle · Ajuga boninsimae · Decumbent Bugle · Blue bugle · Ajuga japonica · Ajuga lupulina · Oriental Bugle · Ajuga piskoi · Ajuga turkestanica · Ajuga zakhoensis · Bugleweed
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ajuga reptans by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
