Marsh Woundwort
In late August the Marsh Woundwort (Stachys palustris) was in flower throughout Cloudforest One. Like Purple Loosestrife, it’s found along the drainage ditches and the damp meadows and alder marshes within the site.
Much loved by bumblebees and other insects, the flowers are a good source of pollen and nectar from June right through to September.
The stems are square, a characteristic of the Lamiaceae plant family, and both the stem and leaves are hairy to the touch. It is not heavily scented but close up, you will notice a slightly musty, mint-like smell.
Marsh Woundwort spreads by seed as well as by sending out tuberous runners, which put down roots and send up another plant a little way from the parent plant. Like other mint family plants, it can get invasive if it’s too happy in its home - but in Cloudforests it’s restricted along the ditches and wetter areas.
Marsh Woundwort has been used medicinally and by herbalists for many years as an antiseptic, to control muscle spasms, and to help staunch bleeding from cuts. So it’s an important one for the Cloudforests team if we happen to get a scratch while we’re roaming around the forest!
