Native to Europe and Asia, naturalized in the US
Plant of the mint family
Takes the form of a single-stalked, upright plant of about 8-30" tall with a bunch of leaves at the top and sparse leaves along the stalk.
Simple, opposite, toothed leaves.
Grows in wetlands and urban conditions
Often outcompetes the native Lycopus americanus in wet urban environments. Sometimes considered to be a wetland obligate (OBL) plant, but through wind and water dispersal it can establish and survive elsewhere.
Rhizomeous roots
Flowers from June through September and produces seeds from August to September
Sentimental and Symbolic Value
European folklore holds that the Roma, an Indo-Aryan ethnic and religious group with a long history as outcasts and scapegoats, used this weed as medicine and to ritualistically dye their skin black.
The Flemish herbalist Rembert Dodoens, in his 1578 A Nievve Herball, writes that "in [the Duchy of Brabant, in the modern day Netherlands], and of some Egyptenaers cruyt, that is to say, the Egyptians herbe, bycause of the Rogues and runnegates which call themselves Egyptians, do colour themselves blacke with this herbe.”
Specimen photographed found on St. Stephen Street, Boston, Massachusetts, Part of the Spontaneous Urban Plants assignment (10/13/2021)
Plant History and Etymology
The native Lycopus americanus is closely related to this plant but is not the same species. It was fomerly considered a variant of the gypsywort, called L. europeaus var. sinuatus. It was brought over unintentionally by Europeans among other weedy plants whose seeds embedded in hay and other goods, and it quickly became naturalized. It is documented in the US as far back as 1860, where it was noted as being found on ballast and in abandoned spaces along the eastern seabord. It moved inland over time, sprouting up along roads and ditches.
Design Considerations
It has some wildlife value for insects, namely various bee and wasp species as well as the Sphinx eremitus (Hermit Sphinx), but mammals generally avoid it. It may be a good species for an insect garden or medicinal herb garden, as it has been used by various peoples for astringents and cosmetics, but does not have much aesthetic value as its flowers are inconspicuous and the plant's form is rather messy and straggly.
Sources
“Species Profile - Lycopus Europaeus.” 2021. Usgs.gov. 2021. https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/GreatLakes/FactSheet.aspx?Species_ID=2694.
Beer, A.-M., K.R. Wiebelitz, and H. Schmidt-Gayk. 2008. “Lycopus Europaeus (Gypsywort): Effects on the Thyroidal Parameters and Symptoms Associated with Thyroid Function.” Phytomedicine 15 (1-2): 16–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2007.11.001.
“Gypsywort (Lycopus Europaeus).” 2021. Illinoiswildflowers.info. 2021. https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/gypsywort.html.
Wikipedia Contributors. 2021. “Lycopus Europaeus.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. March 22, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycopus_europaeus.
Stuckey, Ronald L., and W. Louis Phillips. “DISTRIBUTIONAL HISTORY OF LYCOPUS EUROPAEUS (EUROPEAN WATER-HOREHOUND) IN NORTH AMERICA.” Rhodora 72, no. 791 (1970): 351–69. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23311386.