Is horehound a weed?

Question

I want to make a garden but I don't want to plant weeds. I'd also welcome any suggestions for non-weedy medicinal herbs.

Answer 1

Yes it is, especially in Australia, much like kudzu is in the south.

Horehound

Common and Scientific Names

Horehound
Marrubium vulgare L.

Origin and Distribution

Horehound is native to temperate Eurasia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean region including North Africa. It is widespread throughout Victoria and is common on sheep camps and in waste places.

Description

A bushy perennial plant, 30 to 80 cm high, sharply aromatic when crushed, covered with dense whitish hairs.

Stems - Four-sided, up to 60 cm high, stout, branched, upright to trailing, densely hairy, whitish, and woody at the base.

Leaves - Opposite, broadly oval to round, 1 to 3 cm diameter, wrinkled, the margins irregularly lobed, the upper surface bluish-green, the lower surface white-woolly, the stalks at least half as long as the blades. Veins are sunken on upper surface and prominent underneath.

Flowers - White, 6 to 10 mm long, arranged densely around the stems in the leaf axils. Flowering occurs mainly in spring, sometimes through to autumn (September to March).
Figure 1. Horehound.

Seeds - Brown or black, ovoid or triangular, slightly roughened, 1 to 2 mm long, up to 4 per capsule.

Roots - Branched woody taproot or rootstock with numerous fibrous lateral roots.

The Problem

Horehound is a weed of pastures and crops in southern Australia where it thrives on poor soil and in waste places. It invades poor pastures which provide little competition. Horehound contains a bitter alkaloid which makes it unpalatable for grazing livestock. Horehound burrs contaminate wool, reducing the value of the fleece. The meat of animals which are forced to eat horehound is tainted by the plant's strong flavour, and it takes about 7 grazing days on clean pasture for animals to lose this.

There are reports of horehound causing stomach impaction in sheep and acting as an alternative host to pest insect species. As well as being an agricultural weed of pastures horehound has become an important environmental weed because of its ability to invade disturbed native vegetation.

Dispersal

Seeds are primarily dispersed by stock, as the fruit or burr readily attaches to wool, fur, clothing and similar materials. Water is also an effective dispersal agent, and horses are known to pass the seeds, after ingestion, in a viable condition.

Management Program

Some control methods described in this note are only effective if used in combination with other control options as part of a long-term management program.

If used in isolation, these methods do not effectively destroy the plant, allowing it to re-shoot or continue to grow. Authorised officers from DPI or DSE may direct landowners to undertake specific control activities to ensure methods are used that are capable of destroying plants and preventing their spread.

Where directed to do so, landowners must use the method or methods as directed by the authorised officer. In most cases the landowner will be able to choose from a variety of options appropriate for use in their particular situation.

The integration of a number of control techniques coupled with good pasture management is likely to give the best long-term control of horehound. Priorities for controlling different infestations must be worked out when planning a horehound management program. Clean areas should be kept free of horehound and managed in a way that will prevent infestation. Lightly infested areas should be cleaned up as soon as possible to prevent spread. Extensive infestations are best quarantined and tackled progressively as part of a pasture improvement program

Answer 2

I grow the plant in very acidic, sandy soil with minimal summer water. It survives but has never spread or even grown with great vigor. I clip it to keep a shape but in the Pacific Northwest it has not been a problem plant other than its sprawling nature. Mine is the variegated Ballota nigra or Variegated Black Horehound that is not as drought tolerant as the white or greek varieties, which is why mine is not very vigorous. It is partially evergreen leaving color til late in the season.
There is an less pleasant form of the Black Horehound (B. nigra foetida) with the scent of sweat socks.
White Horehound (B. vulgare)
Greek Horehound (B. pseudodictamnus )
The wild form is a weed in Europe and north America. Look at the stem. It has the classic square shape of the mint family member.

Answer 3

For me, a weed is anything I don't want in my garden. So anything I planted on purpose would automatically not be a weed. Do you have a different definition of weed?

Here's a page I found out about hoarhound. As I recall, I have eaten candy made from it before.
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/herbhunters/hoarhound.html

Answer 4

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Answer 5

I always thought it was a herb. Marrubium (horehound) is a genus of about 40 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, native to temperate regions of Europe and Asia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrubium

Answer 6

Horehound is used in a lot of the same things as licorice or anise.

Medicinal herbs: Chamomile, lavender, mint, thyme, parsley

Answer 7

yup it's a weed!
try Chamomile, Fennugreek, St. Johnswort, Lemon Balm, Echinacea, and Sage!

Answer 8

one mans weed is another mans flower for wich he may make the sweetest of candy.

Answer 9

Yeah, weed.

Answer 10

go to a nursery and ask