New Mexico State University
College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences | ACES
NMSU: Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands

Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands

Diné bikéyah Chi’l nooséłígíí Bąąhą́ą́nosin
Take care of our Navajo Rangelands

Horehound

Square stem (characteristic of the mint family) with fuzzy, dentate leaves and tiny white flowers
Russ Kleinman

Horehound is a pest. It grows at lower to middle elevations, frequently in the shade of trees in a ring around the trunk but also in sidewalks and waste areas. The wrinkled, grayish leaves and nearly hidden white flowers are easy to recognize. The ten spreading and hooked calyceal teeth act like velcro and are dangerous to pets as they can work themselves deeply into fur.

Seed capsule with tiny hooked teeth at the top
Russ Kleinman
Seed capsules next to a ruler to show how small they are!
Russ Kleinman
Cross-sections of the fuzzy, square stem.
Russ Kleinman
Small clusters of white flowers arrange along the stem.
Russ Kleinman
Bushy clump of horehound early in the season before flowering
Amy Smith Muise
Dry seedheads on a brown stalk in the wintertime
Amy Smith Muise
Scientific Name
Marribium vulgare
Plant Type
Forb
Growing Season
Warm Season
Stem Placement
Opposite
Habitats
  • Brushlands
  • Grasslands
  • Wastelands
  • River valleys
Flower Color
White
Other Traits
⚠
Noxious
⚠
May cause injury

For definitions, see the glossary.

©2018 NMSU Board of Regents.
Individual photographers retain all rights to their images.
Partially funded by the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (westernsare.org; 435.797.2257), project EW15-023.
Programs and projects supported by Western SARE are equally open to all people.