256 WEED FLORA OF IOWA 



Distribution. — Common in shady and damp places everywhere in 

 Iowa and a weed in cultivated fields. It is distributed from New 

 Jersey to Kansas, and in the northwest territory. 



Extermination. — This is a spring weed of waste, shady places. 

 Sow thickly with some leguminous crop, like clover, or get blue 

 grass started. The weed is easily destroyed by cultivation. 



BORAGINACEAE, BORAGE FAMILY. 



Comfrey, bugloss, alkanet, blueweed and borage belong to this 

 family. Many of the plants are scattered by animals because of 

 the burs. 



Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum officinale L.). 



Description. — A coarse biennial herb, clothed with short, soft 

 hairs; lower leaves oblong or oblong-lanceolate, the upper closely 

 sessile with a slightly heart-shaped base ; racemes nearly bractless, 

 elongated in fruit; divisions of the calyx ovate, lanceolate, acute; 

 corolla reddish purple, rarely white; nutlets flat on the broad up- 

 per face, splitting away at maturity. 



Distribution. — ^In fields and waste places, especially westward 

 from New England to Quebec, Ontario, Minnesota, Manitoba and 

 Kansas. 



Extermination. — This weed should be cut a few inches below the 

 surface of the ground. It is easily killed. The "seeds" are, how- 

 ever, widely scattered by animals; stray plants should be looked 

 for. 



