Common Figwort - Scrophularia nodosa
Medium to tall hairless plant. Stems square but without pronounced wings. Leaves ovate, acute and toothed. Flowers greenish with a purple brown upper lip.
Water Figwort (S auriculata) and Green Figwort (S umbrosa)
Square stems, not winged. Leaves acute. Calyx-lobes have a narrow scarious border (i.e. a thin papery whitish edge)
A photo of whole plant, including leaves as well as flowers.
Hedgerows and woodland preferring damper places.
Flowering June to September.
Perennial
Quite frequent and widespread throughout most of Britain.
Fairly frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 152 of the 617 tetrads.
Graham Calow
Burbage Wood
30 May 2022
Graham Calow
Burbage Wood
30 May 2022
David Nicholls
New Lount
09 June 2011
AJ Cann
Cloud Wood
21 July 2015
Graham Calow
Jubilee Walk, Leire
30 July 2014
Graham Calow
Jubilee Walk, Leire
30 July 2014
David Nicholls
New Lount
27 September 2012
David Nicholls
New Lount
27 September 2012
square stems but without wings
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
Enter a town or village to see local records
MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020
UK Map
Species profile
- Common names
- Common Figwort
- Species group:
- flowering plant
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Lamiales
- Family:
- Scrophulariaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 105
- First record:
- 11/05/1992 (John Mousley;Steve Grover)
- Last record:
- 30/07/2025 (Rodgers, John)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
10km squares with records
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.
Latest images
Latest records
Graham Calow
Burbage Wood
30 May 2022
David Nicholls
Martinshaw Wood
31 August 2013
David Nicholls
New Lount
27 September 2012
irturner
Cloud Wood
10 June 2018
Alan Semper
Swithland Wood
16 June 2015
Graham Calow
Jubilee Walk, Leire
30 July 2014
Figwort Sawfly
The larvae of the Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae) are a dusty greyish white with black spots, and a generally creased appearance. They feed on plants in the Figwort family.
Amauromyza (Cephalomyza) verbasci
The larva of the Agromyzid fly Amauromyza verbasci causes a blotch mine on the upper surfaces of the leaves of Mullein, Common Figwort and Butterfly-bush. The mine is pale initially but turns brown later. Frass in sizeable dispersed grains.