Stachys officinalis (L.) Trevis. subsp. officinalis

Posted byTrajche DimitrovskiPosted inLamiaceae, Plant families

Taxonomy: Fam. Lamiaceae// Genus: Stachys// Species: Stachys officinalis (L.) Trevis.// Subspecies: Stachys officinalis (L.) Trevis. subsp. officinalis.

Determined according to the botanical keys provided by Matevski (2021), Ball (1972 in Tutin et al.) and Diklić (1974 in Josifović).

Distribution: Native from Europe to West Siberia and Caucasus, Northwest Africa according to the distribution information provided by the Plants of the World Online portal – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (accepted as Betonica officinalis L.).

Habitat: Pastures and clearings of oak and European beech forests. Recorded from c. 940 to 1460 m.

Recorded localities: region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Village of Pantelej region, 22.07.2024.

Lifeform: Perennial, hemicryptophyte according to the Raunkiaer system.

Flowering period: Summer: JUN, JUL, AUG.

Locality: region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala. Date: 08.07.2023.

Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – habit. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – habit. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – habit. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – habit. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – habit. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – inflorescence. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – inflorescence. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – inflorescence. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – flowers. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – inflorescence. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – flowers. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – flowers and bracts. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – flowers, bracts and upper cauline leaves. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – bracts and upper cauline leaves. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – stem with cauline leaves. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – persistent rosettes of leaves and axillary flowering stems. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – persistent rosettes of leaves and axillary flowering stems. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – stem with cauline leaves. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – stem with cauline leaves. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – adaxial side of cauline leaf. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – abaxial side of cauline leaf. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – stem. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – basal leaves and lower part of axillary flowering stem. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – basalleaves leaves. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – basal leaves. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – adaxial side of basal leaf. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis – abaxial side of basal leaf. Osogovo –  region between Visoka chuka (Ponikva) and Ratkova skala, 08.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

Locality: Ponikva. Date: 10.07.2022.

Stachys officinalis – habit. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis – inflorescence. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis – flowers. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis – lower vertcillaster – flowers and bracts. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis – lower verticillaster – flowers, bracts and upper cauline leaves. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis – stem with cauline leaves and lower verticillaster. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis – cauline leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis – adaxial side of cauline leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis – abaxial side of cauline leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis – basal leaves. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis – basal leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis – adaxial side of basal leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Stachys officinalis – abaxial side of basal leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 10.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

References:

Ball, P. W. 1972. Stachys L. (incl. Betonica L.). In Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A. (eds.), Flora Europaea. Volume 3. Diapensiaceae to Myoporaceae. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 151–157.

Betonica officinalis L. Plants of the World Online portal, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:445133-1 [Accessed 16.07.2022].

Diklić, N. 1974. Rod Stachys L. In Josifović, M. (ed.), Flora SR Srbije, VI. Beograd: Srpska Akademija Nauka i Umetnosti, pp. 409–432.

Matevski, V. 2021. Stachys L, The Flora of the RN Macedonia. Vol II, Book 2. Skopje: Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, pp. 270–301.

Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis. The Euro+Med Plantbase. Source: 2010: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (2010), copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://europlusmed.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/f86dd205-2f87-43c3-9798-9aacf29fa0ff [Accessed 24.03.2026].

Last update: 24.03.2026.