Hound's Tongue: What It Looks Like, Where It Grows and Why It Is Risky for the Garden and Animals

In brief: Hound's tongue (Cynoglossum officinale) is a biennial herb with dark red-brown flowers and hooked fruits that cling to fur and clothing. It grows on fallow land, embankments and pastures. It is considered poisonous, so do not use it, and in the garden it is better to remove it before the seeds ripen.

Hound's tongue is one of the plants people ask about on a walk or while weeding the garden: what is this plant with dark flowers and sticky fruits? Usually it is hound's tongue, which grows on waste ground, embankments, pastures and unpaved areas.

It is a plant with the name "officinale" (medicinal), but this epithet does not mean it is suitable for home use. Quite the opposite. This article explains how to recognise it, why it is risky and how to get rid of it.

What hound's tongue looks like

In the first year hound's tongue forms only a ground-level rosette of leaves, which is easily overlooked. Only in the second year does it grow tall and flower. The plant has a specific smell reminiscent of mice.

Where hound's tongue grows

Hound's tongue occurs on fallow land, embankments, pastures, path edges and ruderal places, often in dry and sunny positions with disturbed soil. In the garden it appears in uncultivated corners and in soil disturbed by building work.

Why hound's tongue is risky

Hound's tongue is among the plants considered poisonous. It contains substances that can damage the liver, especially with repeated ingestion. Most at risk are farm animals, mainly horses and cattle, but there is also a risk to dogs, cats and humans. After drying, the plant also becomes dangerous in dried fodder, where animals do not recognise it.

• Do not use the plant even as a spice, tea or herb.
• Do not grow it in a garden where children and pets move about.
• Do not feed it to animals and do not put it into hay or haylage.
• Wear gloves when working with the plant and wash your hands after work.
• The hooked fruits cling to fur; remove them carefully and do not run your bare hands over them.

How to remove hound's tongue

It is most effective to start in the first year, when the plant is in the rosette stage and has not yet formed seeds. Remove mature plants before the fruits ripen.

1. Dig up the plant with its root; hound's tongue has a deep taproot.
2. Work in gloves and long sleeves.
3. Dispose of plants with fruits in sealed waste, not in a home compost heap, as the seeds would spread.
4. After removal, check the spot in the following months and pull out further seedlings.
5. On pastures remove plants before haymaking and check the hay.

How to protect children and pets

In a garden where children and animals move about, regularly walk the edges, ruderal places and corners where plants can establish. Check the fencing of pastures and the surroundings of animal housing, and remove plants before they flower. Explain to children that unknown plants are not tasted. If you suspect that an animal or child has swallowed the plant, contact a vet, or a doctor or the toxicological information centre.

What to watch out for in the countryside

On a walk you may look at hound's tongue, but do not collect it or pull off the fruits that stick to clothing. After returning, clean your clothes and your dog so that the seeds do not spread further. Do not handle the plant without gloves and remember that children and animals may pick up and taste the fruits.

Hound's tongue and similar plants

Hairy grey-green leaves are also found on some other plants, so when identifying do not rely only on the leaves. You can recognise hound's tongue most reliably by its dark red-brown flowers and sticky hooked fruits. Be careful when identifying plants in the wild and never use a plant whose species you do not know for certain.

Why hound's tongue spreads

The fruits of hound's tongue are equipped with hooked spines, which catch on animal fur, clothing and rucksacks. In this way the plant also spreads to distant places. Animals and people also aid the spread. Prevention is timely removal of plants before ripening, cleaning clothing after a walk and checking animals' fur. Disturbed soil favours the plants, so after earthworks sow the areas with a grass mixture or cover them with mulch so that hound's tongue does not establish.

Plants you can plant instead of hound's tongue

If you are giving up wild corners in the garden and want safe plants there, consider undemanding species that grow in dry and sunny places: lavender, sage, thyme, stonecrops or grasses. They support insects, are not poisonous and need no special care. Plant suitable plants quickly on disturbed soil or cover it with mulch. Do not forget to plant the edges of paths and fences too, so that unwanted species cannot establish there.

How the plant behaves during the year

Catching the plant in the first year, when it does not yet form seeds, is the most effective. If you find an unknown ground-level rosette of grey-green leaves in the garden, photograph it and ask in the advice service before you let it grow.

Frequently asked questions

What is hound's tongue?

A biennial herb with dark red-brown flowers and sticky fruits that grows on waste ground, embankments and pastures.

Is hound's tongue poisonous?

Yes, it is considered poisonous, mainly for farm animals. Do not use it internally or as a spice.

Can I grow hound's tongue in the garden?

We do not recommend it. The plant is risky for children and animals and spreads easily by its sticky fruits.

How do I get rid of hound's tongue?

Dig up the plants with their roots in the first year or before the fruits ripen, dispose of them in sealed waste and repeatedly check the spot.

How can hound's tongue be recognised?

By its dark red-brown flowers, hairy leaves, its smell and its hooked fruits.

Sources

• Hound's tongue – Wikipedia
• Borage family – Wikipedia

Updated: 5 October 2026