GREEN HOUND'S-TONGUE
Cynoglossum germanicum
Borage Family [Boraginaceae] 
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Borage Family [Boraginaceae]
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status
flower
flower
flower
inner
morph
petals
type
shortstem
rarity
sex
| 25th May 2020, nr. Epsom, Surrey | Photo: © Moira O'Donnel |
| Grows up to the same maximum height as the much more common Hound's-tongue, 60cm, but it is more branched and thinner than that. They are also oval, without teeth and clasp the stem. [Those toothed leaves on the right belong to a differing plant] |
| 25th May 2020, nr. Epsom, Surrey | Photo: © Moira O'Donnel |
| The leaves are green (rather than the grey-green of Hound's-tongue). |
| 25th May 2020, nr. Epsom, Surrey | Photo: © Moira O'Donnel |
| The flowers are initially in a spiral which later straightens out into a short flower spike. |
| 25th May 2020, nr. Epsom, Surrey | Photo: © Moira O'Donnel |
| The flower is reddish-purple just like those of Hound's-tongue. |
| 25th May 2020, nr. Epsom, Surrey | Photo: © Moira O'Donnel |
| The flowers turn darker to dark-purple before finally dropping off leaving a 5-blunt-toothed sepal cup which has a smaller but short bulge at the rear, presumably containing the developing nutlets, of which there are 4 to each flower, arranged pointing inwards in a circle, like those of Hound's-tongue. There is here a spiral of at least 5 flower buds still to develop petals in the centre. |
| 25th May 2020, nr. Epsom, Surrey | Photo: © Moira O'Donnel |
| The flower stems also have appressed hairs directed forwards. The flower stalks are about 5mm long. |
| 25th May 2020, nr. Epsom, Surrey | Photo: © Moira O'Donnel |
| 25th May 2020, nr. Epsom, Surrey | Photo: © Moira O'Donnel |
| 25th May 2020, nr. Epsom, Surrey | Photo: © Moira O'Donnel |
| The flower corolla is about 5mm across (smaller than the 6 to 10mm of Hound's-tongue). Inside the flower is a reddened 5-lobed stigma(?) which has 5 dull-white shorter objects between them. Can your Author just make out a stamen in the central hole? |
| 25th May 2020, nr. Epsom, Surrey | Photo: © Moira O'Donnel |
| There are appressed hairs on the sepals. On the top flower the petals are red and purplish. |
| 25th May 2020, nr. Epsom, Surrey | Photo: © Moira O'Donnel |
| One of the books says that the hairs (which are on both sides of the leaves) are sparse but long and stiff, but your Author is having trouble seeing any on this specimen. |
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Uniquely identifiable characteristics Distinguishing Feature : The green leaves and the 4 seeds arranged in a circle (similar to Hound's-tongue but that has grey-green leaves).
No relation to : Green Hound's-tongue is bright green (unlike the duller green of Hound's-tongue). Also different is that Green Houndstongue is more-branched and yet with thinner stems. It is native but declining in number (and sites) and is now a very rare [RRR]. It occurs in clearings in calcareous woodland as well as in hedgerows in the chalk and limestone areas of Southern England such as East Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, North Hants and Surrey (without the fringe on top :-)
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 Cynoglossum
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germanicum
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⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ |
Boraginaceae
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 Cynoglossum (Hound's-Tongues) |
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Borage Family [Boraginaceae]
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BSBI maps