Prunella vulgaris

Common Names

Selfheal, All-Heal, Blue Curls, Blue Lucy, Brownwort, Brunel, Caravaun Bog, Carpenter Grass, Carpenter's Square, Heart Of The Earth, Herb Carpenter, Hercules' All-Heal, Hook-Heal, Hookweed, Panay, Proud Carpenter, Sickle-Heal, Sicklewort, Slough-Heal, Square Stem, Carpenter's Herb, Heal-All, Thimble Flower

Summary

Prunella vulgaris is a native herb in the mint family that grows as a low-growing, creeping perennial, often forming dense mats, occurring across Europe, Asia, and North America. It has square stems with opposite, lance-shaped leaves and short erect spikes of dense tubular flowers that are violet-blue, purple, pink, or white; the upper lip is hooded and the lower lip three-lobed and fringed. Reaching about 6–20 inches tall, it spreads by creeping stems that root at the nodes and by seed, producing a distinctive groundcover with showy flower spikes.

In cultivation it tolerates sun to partial shade and moist to well-drained soils, adapting to a wide range of soil types. It serves as groundcover or erosion control, attracts bees and butterflies, and acts as a larval host for the Clouded Sulphur butterfly; it can spread vigorously via creeping stems and seed, requiring containment in some settings. Propagation is by seed or division; plant in suitable garden settings such as borders, cottage or wildflower gardens, or underplanting; hardy in USDA zones 4–9.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

6-12 inches

Spread

4-20 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 4-9

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Full Sun to Partial Shade.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained soil; tolerates chalk, clay, loam, and sand; pH around 6.0–7.5.

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil that remains consistently moist but not waterlogged.

Soil pH

No single ideal pH; tolerates a wide range (approximately 6.0–7.5, from slightly acidic to neutral).

Bloom Color

Blue to Purple

Bloom Time

Spring through Fall

Foliage Color

Green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Fast

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, and Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Layering, Division, Cuttings

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, butterflies, other pollinators, and birds