Practical
Plants

Stachys germanica

Downy Woundwort

a perennial member of the Stachys genus in the family Labiatae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Labiatae
Genus
Stachys
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1 m
Fertility
Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaves are densely covered with long white silky hairs, they have been used as a substitute for lint in dressing wounds[4]. The thick, lint-like leaves are both soft and strongly antiseptic[3].

Product or use
Antiseptic
Product or use
Plaster

Environment

Range
Central and Southern Europe, including Britain, to N. Africa and the Orient.
Habitat
Pastures and hedgebanks[1], especially on limestone soils[4]. A very rare native of Britain, it is only found in Oxford, though is common in Europe[4][1].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Easily grown in any deep, well-drained and moderately fertile soil, preferring a position in full sun[2]. The plant is a short-lived perennial and is sometimes biennial[1]. Closely related to S. cretica and S. byzantina[2].

References

  1. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  3. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  4. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

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