Wild Flowers Of Strathclyde Park
  
 

Selfheal
Prunella vulgaris
of the Mint family
a perennial
15 -30 cm high
blooms June-November
likes grassy places, roadsides
can be seen extensively around the Park



    
Also known as "hook heal", "carpenter's herb" and "sickly wort", the flowers of this plant are shaped like sickles or hooks which, in medieval times, were a common cause of injuries. This coincidence led to the belief that the plant was the cure for such injuries. It was even used to treat throat inflammations and the scientific name Prunella derives from the German Brunella meaning "sore throat".