Ribwort

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Ribwort leaves

Ribwort

Ribwort

Ribwort

Ribwort

Ribwort inflorescence

Ribwort leaf

Morphology

Stem

Stems absent or essentially so. Plants glabrous to sparsely hairy, green

Leaves

Basal; blades oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic or linear, 3 to 12 inches long, .3 to 1.8 inch wide, margins entire or shallowly serrate, tip acute or attenuate.

Inflorescence

Terminal spikes, short-cylindric to conic, 2/5 to 2 inches; bracts ovate-acuminate, 0.8 to 1 times as long as calyx; peduncles strigose or hirsutulous.

Flower

Calyx 4-lobed, lobes ovate, 1/12 to 1/10 inch, upper 2 united; corolla semi-transparent but sometimes appearing white, tubular, 4-lobed, lobes 1/12 to 1/10 inch, spreading; stamens 4.

Fruit

Capsules ellipsoid, 1/8 to 1/6; seeds 2, golden brown to blackish, boat-shaped, 1/12 to 1/8 inch.

Ecology

Habitat

Lawns, pastures, roadsides, and other disturbed sites

Distribution

Occurs statewide

Practical Information

Uses

This species has been used medicinally for a variety of ailments since ancient time. Dioscorides and Pliny (1st century) reported its use by soothsayers and as a love charm; and a tea made of its leaves and seeds was reputed to alleviate hemorrhoids, fever, cramps, stomach and liver troubles, headaches, asthma, toothaches, earaches, whooping cough, diarrhea, wounds, and poisonous snake and insect bites.

Additional Notes