Ajuga reptans L. Bugle, blue bugle, bugleherb, bugleweed, carpetweed, carpet bugleweed, common bugle, carpet bugle
Carpet-bugle is a European native, grown as a groundcover and now naturalized in North America. In some areas it is considered an invasive. It prefers damp grassy fields, and damp woods. There are many cultivars. Identification: Carpet-bugle forms loose mats. Plants are 6-9″ (15-22 cm) in height. Leaves are dark green with purple highlights, opposite, and simple, sometimes toothed. Flowers are blue, appearing from May to Jun. Edibility: Poison . Said to be hallucinogenic, and has caused fatalities. |
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Some similar species: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
You are here Ajuga reptans |
Glechoma hederacea |
Lamium purpureum |
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Common Name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Plant | Forms loose mats. Plants are 6-9″ (15-22 cm) in height. | Often only 3″ (7.6 cm) tall, it sometimes reaches 12″ (30 cm). Extends horizontally, hence the term “ivy.” | 4-16″ (10-40 cm) high, and somewhat hairy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Flowers | Blue, appearing from May to Jun. | Flowers are blue, purple, or lavender, occurring in groups of 3. The flower shape is unusual. A small upper petal is divided into two lobes. A larger lower petal has a lobe on either side, and a large bottom lobe that is divided into two more lobes. Each flower is ⅜-½″ (9.5-12 mm) across. | Flowers are ¼-¾″ (6.3-19 mm), appearing from Mar to Oct. They are pink to red to purple in color. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leaves | Dark green with purple highlights, opposite, and simple, sometimes toothed. | Round or kidney-shaped, with scalloped edges, ⅜-1¼″ (9.5-31 mm) in diameter. | Toothed, round or kidney-shaped, deeply and irregularly veined, and ¼-1¼″ (6.3-31 mm). Each stem node has two opposite leaves, and each succeeded pair is rotated 90° from the last. Upper, younger leaves often have a red-violet tinge. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stem | Square in cross-section. | Stems are 4-angled and glabrous. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Range/ Zones | USDA Zones: 3-10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Habitats | Damp grassy fields, damp woods. | Moist ground, woods, slopes, roadsides, waste places, lawns | Fields, weedy places, gardens. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Wild | Wild | Wild | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occurrence | Common | Common | Common |
Online References:
Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 48
Ajuga reptans description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2020.
Range: Zones 3-10: