Woundwort, Field

Information on Field Woundwort

Common Name: Field Woundwort
Scientific Name: Stachys arvensis
Irish Name: Cuislín gan duaire
Family Group: Lamiaceae
Distribution: View Map (Courtesy of the BSBI)
Flowering Period


Click for list of all flowering by month
Field Woundwort is not easily confused with other wild plants on this web site.


Growing on arable, sandy and disturbed ground, Field Woundwort is a hairy little annual plant which grows to about 40cm tall.  It straggles through cultivated land mostly and, unlike its relatives - Marsh and Hedge Woundwort - it is not a native plant.  It bears very pale pink 2-lipped flowers (12-20mm long), which have faint purple markings on the flat 3-lobed lower lip.  Borne in leafy spikes, the flowers are held in whorls, each flower emerging from a 5-toothed, extremely hairy calyx.  The hairy, short-stalked leaves are heart-shaped with blunt teeth.  Field Woundwort blooms from April to October and it belongs to the Lamiaceae family.   

I found this wildflower – just like the books say – in a cultivated, sandy field in Dohilla which is on Valentia Island, Co Kerry, in 2009.  I photographed it then.   

If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre

In herbal medicine, Woundwort has been prepared as a tea for sore throats and fevers.  It was also recommended for use as an eyewash.   

Woundwort, Field
Woundwort, Field
Woundwort, Field
Woundwort, Field