Betony Betonica officinalis (Stachys officinalis) Lus beatha Family: Lamiaceae Flowering time: June-October. Perennial. Native. Whorls of purple-red flowers in dense spikes, the calyx with bristle-pointed teeth. Basal leaf-rosettes with stalked, coarsely blunt-toothed leaves, the stem leaves paired and un-stalked. A slightly hairy plant, height 25-60cm. Very rare, on light acidic or neutral/calcareous soils on grassland, heaths and at the edge of woodland. Mainly recorded from SW and SE Ireland. An endangered species, covered by the 1999 Flora Protection Order.

Betony, Betonica officinalis (Stachys officinalis), Lus beatha