gypsyflower

Cynoglossum officinale L.

Gypsyflower is a softly hairy, taprooted biennial. A low first-year rosette gives way to a leafy flowering stem in the second year, reaching about 1.2 m tall. University of British Columbia, E-Flora BC: Cynoglossum officinale Morton County, North Dakota: Houndstongue identification

Botanical name

Cynoglossum officinale L. is an accepted species in Boraginaceae. The manifest’s common name, gypsyflower, refers to the plant also widely called houndstongue. Kew Plants of the World Online: Cynoglossum officinale University of British Columbia, E-Flora BC: Cynoglossum officinale

Recognizing the plant

The lower leaves are long and broadest above the middle, narrowing into stalks; higher leaves are smaller and stalkless. Curving flower clusters arise from the upper leaf axils. Each dull maroon flower has a short, broad tube opening into five rounded lobes. Its four egg-shaped nutlets spread apart when ripe and carry numerous barbed prickles. University of British Columbia, E-Flora BC: Cynoglossum officinale

Bloom window

Wisconsin, United States

In Wisconsin, the reddish-purple flowers appear in June and July, borne in clusters among the upper leaves of second-year plants. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Hounds tongue

Native range

The species is native from Europe to western and southern Siberia and Iran. It has been introduced widely in North America. In British Columbia it occupies dry, disturbed ground in lowland, steppe and lower mountain zones. Kew Plants of the World Online: Cynoglossum officinale University of British Columbia, E-Flora BC: Cynoglossum officinale

Ecological relationships

The barbed fruits attach to animal hair and fur, allowing the seeds to travel beyond the parent plant. Morton County, North Dakota: Houndstongue identification

Botanical sources

Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.