Western Isles Wildflowers

Western Isles wildflowers is a collection of information about our Hebridean wildflowers including identification hints, traditional herbal uses and general plant lore.

 

Bugle

(Carpenters Herb, Sicklewort and Middle Comfrey)

Ajuga reptans

Gaelic name: Meacan Dubh Fiadhain

Bugle grows in the Stornoway Castle grounds, and the Uists. It is a fairly rare find across the islands. Generally it grows in troops. It is almost always blue, but just sometimes a pink one will occur.

We also have another species of bugle growing here, the pyramid bugle. As it's name suggests the pyramid bugle has a triangular shape instead of the very parallel-sided shape of the more common bugle shown species in the photograph above. (Bugle is a darker blue than it appears in this photograph).

Bugle is a native wildflower of the Western Isles.

This plant is still used in herbal medicines in cases of haemorrhages, coughs and TB.

Photography © Suzanne Harris. Notes by Ela Springwater
Stornoway Castle Grounds - Isle of Lewis - Outer Hebrides (Western Isles)
9th June, 2007