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Betonica officinalis
Also called Bishop's Wort, Purple Betony, Wood Betony, European Hedge Nettle, Common Betony, Common Hedge Nettle
Betony (Betonica officinalis) is a hardy, clump-forming perennial of dry grassland and meadows, grown for its purple summer flower spikes. It is easy to grow in a sunny spot with average, well-drained soil.
Betonica officinalis, common name betony is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. Other vernacular names include wood betony, common hedgenettle, purple betony, bishopwort, or bishop's wort. Its 'Hummelo' cultivar has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
It was until recently usually included in the genus Stachys as its synonym Stachys officinalis, but Betonica was separated at genus rank from Stachys when a detailed examination showed clear consistent differences in both the foliage and flowers, valid at a higher rank than the previous treatment as just a subgenus. This has been confirmed by genetic study, which shows Betonica is separate from Stachys and more closely related to the hemp-nettles Galeopsis.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Betonica officinalis 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.
