| Scrophularia umbrosa | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Scrophulariaceae |
| Genus: | Scrophularia |
| Species: | S. umbrosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Scrophularia umbrosa Dumort. (1827) |
|
Scrophularia umbrosa, the Green figwort or Water Betony,[1] is a perennial herbaceous plant found in temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere except western North America.[2] Synonyms are Scrophularia alata Gilib.; Scrophularia ehrharti Stevens; Scrophularia hurstii Druce; Scrophularia towndrowi Druce.[3] It grows in moist and cultivated waste ground.[4]
The plant is probably poisonous to cows, pollinated by bees and wasps. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade, but requires moist or wet soil.[5]
The plant was thought, by the doctrine of signatures to be able to cure the throat disease scrofula because of the throat-like shape of its flowers.[6]