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Common Name: Downy Woundwort

General Information

Stachys germanica is a perennial plant that can grow up to 1.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine..

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Central and Southern Europe, including Britain, to N. Africa and the Orient.

Habitat

Pastures and hedgebanks[], especially on limestone soils[]. A very rare native of Britain, it is only found in Oxford, though is common in Europe[, ].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Easily grown in any deep, well-drained and moderately fertile soil, preferring a position in full sun[].
The plant is a short-lived perennial and is sometimes biennial[].
Closely related to S. cretica and S. byzantina[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The leaves are densely covered with long white silky hairs, they have been used as a substitute for lint in dressing wounds[]. The thick, lint-like leaves are both soft and strongly antiseptic[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring.