Gypsywort by Nick Elsey 1/1

Gypsywort Lycopus europaeus

Gypsywort or gipsywort grows in a wide range of wet soils along banks of rivers, streams, ditches, lakes and fens. It is a member of the dead-nettle family and is closely related to mints and thymes.

Conservation status

A common plant of Norfolk and lowland England and Wales growing in wet places by fresh water, the population is thought to be stable.

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Details

Did you know? The plant juice of gypsywort yields a black dye and was once used to dye fabrics, it is also said that fortune tellers used to use the sap to darken their skins to make them resemble Africans or Egyptians to make them more mysterious, hence the common name.

The plant was used as an astringent and as a sedative in the treatment of anxiety.

The flowers are pollinated by small insects.
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