WorldFloraDB - Teucrium chamaedrys

Characteristics

It is a hardy herb which keeps growing from year to year. It grows 30-60 cm high and has underground stems or rhizomes. The leaves are bright green and wrinkled and glossy. They are oval and have teeth around the edge. The leaves are about 2 cm long. The flowers are pink, purple or red. These are in spikes at the top of the plant as well as in the axils of leaves.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

shrub

Growth support

free-standing

Foliage retention

evergreen

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

entomogamy

Spread

epizoochory

Mature width (meter)

0.2 - 0.5

Mature height (meter)

0.3

Root system

rhizome

Rooting depth (meter)

0.3

Root diameter (meter)

0.3

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

-

Fruiting months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It will grow in most soils and positions. It is resistant to drought and frost. It suits plant hardiness zones 5-10. In Hobart Botanical gardens.

More

Sunny, rather dry places on waste ground and rocky outcrops, mainly on limestone soils Naturalized on old walls in Britain.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

The flowering tops are used to get an extract to colour bitter wines and vermouth. They are also used as a herbal tea.

Uses	environmental use essential oil flavouring medicinal tea
Edible	flowers leaves stems
Therapeutic use	Aperient (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Depurative (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Fibroma (unspecified), Gout (unspecified), Scrofula (unspecified), Stimulant (unspecified), Stomachic (unspecified), Sudorific (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Alterative (unspecified), Antiseptic (unspecified), Astringent (unspecified), Bactericide (unspecified), Splenitis (unspecified), Excitant (unspecified), Antirheumatic agents (unspecified), Diuretics (unspecified), Gastrointestinal diseases (unspecified), Skin diseases (unspecified), Splenic diseases (unspecified), Diuretics (whole plant), Hypohidrosis (whole plant), General tonic for rejuvenation (whole plant)
Human toxicity	liver toxic (aerial)
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

It is grown from cuttings taken in mid summer.

Mode	cuttings divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days)	25 - 30
Germination temperacture (C°)	21
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	-29
Optimum temperature (C°)	-
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-