Hedge Woundwort - Stachys sylvatica

Description

Medium to tall creeping plant to 1.2 metres with a rather unpleasant smell, stems erect, glandular hairy. Leaves heart shaped, slightly hairy, all stalked. Flowers dull dark purple red, with white markings, 13 to 18 mm long, hairy, the whorls forming an interrupted spike.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Hedgerows banks and ditches.

When to see it

June to September.

Life History

Perennial.

UK Status

Common throughout most of Britain except for the Scottish Highlands.

VC55 Status

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 601 of the 617 tetrads.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Hedge Woundwort
Species group:
Wildflowers
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Lamiales
Family:
Lamiaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
558
First record:
11/05/1992 (John Mousley;Steve Grover)
Last record:
10/10/2025 (David Nicholls)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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Latest images

Latest records

Photo of the association

Amauromyza morionella

The larva of the Agromyzid fly Amauromyza morionella mines the leaves of various Stachys and Lamium species. The frass is conspicuous in the mine and the mine is initially linear, then develops into a white blotch, often enveloping the early mine.

Photo of the association

Amauromyza (Cephalomyza) labiatarum

The larva of the Agromyzif fly Amauromyza labiatarum mines the leaves of various plants including Dead-nettles and Woundworts, producing a mine with a narrow gallery leading to a largish blotch on the upper surface. Frass is green and indistinct in the gallery - small grains may be seen at the gallery edge.

Photo of the association

Wachtliella stachydis

The larva of the gall midge Wachtliella stachydis causes galls on Hedge Woundwort or Betony.  Shoot-tip leaves are curled, thickened and often yellowed. The flowerbuds remain closed with enlarged calyces, and are more hairy than usual..  Larvae inside are orange when mature, white when young.