Lycopus asper
Rough bugleweed
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Family: Lamiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Lycopus asper (Rough bugleweed) is a native California herb in the Lamiaceae family, recognized by . Key features: rough texture, tuber-like rhizomes, largest flowers.
Rough bugleweed is a California native perennial found in the Central California Floristic Province and Great Basin in moist areas, marshes, and streambanks at elevations below 1,400 meters. Flowering from June to October, this plant produces small white flowers 3 to 5 millimeters long with distinctive awl-like calyx lobes. Growing with erect stems 30 to 80 centimeters tall that are lightly hairy, it spreads through rhizomes with thickened, tuber-like tips. Its leaves are nearly sessile, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 2.5 to 7 centimeters long with serrated edges and a slightly hairy surface. The tiny nutlet fruits are 1.5 to 2 millimeters long with truncate tips.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Co-occurs with 2 species. Key features: rough texture, tuber-like rhizomes, largest flowers
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist areas, marshes, streambanks
Elevation: < 1400 m
Outside California: to western Canada, Great Plains
Bloom period
Lycopus asper blooms Jun-Oct.
How to tell it apart
vs Dysphania: Lycopus has opposite leaves and square stems (mint family), while Dysphania has alternate leaves and round stems.; vs Marrubium: Lycopus has 4-lobed flowers without an obvious lip, while Marrubium has strongly two-lipped hooded flowers.; vs Salvia: Lycopus has tiny 2-5mm white flowers with 4 equal lobes, while Salvia has larger two-lipped flowers.; vs Monarda: Lycopus grows in wetlands with tiny white flowers, while Monarda grows in desert mountains with larger radial flowers.; vs Acanthomintha: Lycopus lacks the spiny-edged bracts that make Acanthomintha look thorny beneath flower clusters.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lycopus asper native to California?
Yes. Lycopus asper is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Lycopus asper bloom?
Lycopus asper blooms Jun-Oct.
What plant family does Lycopus asper belong to?
Lycopus asper is in the Lamiaceae family, genus Lycopus.
What habitat does Lycopus asper grow in?
Lycopus asper grows in Moist areas, marshes, streambanks.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.