This tiny purple flower is popping up in yards everywhere
iNaturalist Community
Foraging
That low, purple-flowered plant sneaking into your lawn between mowings isn't a weed to spray, it's an edible, medicinal herb that pollinators love and foragers have used for centuries.
Selfheal is a small plant with purple flower spikes that grows practically everywhere, lawns, trails, disturbed soil, you name it. This week over a thousand people uploaded verified sightings of it to iNaturalist, making it one of the most-observed plants around. That kind of spike usually means it's in peak bloom and easy to spot right now, so it's a good time to go find some in your own neighborhood.
Key Findings
1,081 research-grade observations of Prunella vulgaris logged in a single week
Ranked among the top trending plant species on iNaturalist this week
High observation volume suggests the species is in peak bloom and widely distributed across observers' regions
chevron_right Technical Summary
A common backyard weed called selfheal is having a huge moment on iNaturalist, with over 1,000 people logging sightings of it in a single week. It's a sign of how widespread and easy-to-spot this little purple-flowered plant is right now.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: common selfheal (Prunella vulgaris) — 1081 observations this week
common selfheal is among the most observed plant species this week with 1081 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Prunella vulgaris, the common self-heal, heal-all, woundwort, heart-of-the-earth, carpenter's herb, brownwort or blue curls, is an herbaceous flowering plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae).