USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Vol. 3: 115.
Where Commonly Found: Meadows, fields, shores of rivers or lakes, wetlands, CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT.
How to Identify:
(For unfamiliar words: Wikipedia Glossary of Botanical Terms).
Go Botany Key to Prunella vulgaris.
Illinois Wildflower webpage for Prunella vulgaris.
Flower Type: Mid-June to Mid-August. Stems end in short spike of tubular flowers, each 1/2″ long divided into 2 lips. The upper, light purple, lip serves as a hood, the lower has 2 lateral, light purple, lobes and and the center is white and fringed.
Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are opposite on square, branched, various hairy stem.
Leaf Type: Lance to egg-shaped leaves, 2-3/4″ long by 1″ across, rounded base, pointed or blunt tip, mostly toothless and hairless to sparsely hairy leaf surface.
Height: .5′ – 1′
Seed Collection: Each flower produces 4 tiny brown, angular, finely ridged seeds, housed in a calyx. Rain can cause the seeds to catapult.
Attracts: Bees, Butterflies
Use: Ground Cover for Pollinator Garden
Light: Full Sun to Part Sun
Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9 USDA Zone Map
Soils: Moist
Notes: Self Heal has a long history as serving as a medicinal herb, but is also beautiful in the garden and attractive to pollinators. It does spread some via roots.
Native to all of the US. Biota of North America Program (BONAP) – North America Plant Atlas (NAPA).
Northeast Wild Seed Collectors 
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