Biology

This perennial herb flowers from May to October (1), and is pollinated by wind (2). A single plant can produce as many as 15,000 seeds (1). This ubiquitous plant was called 'English man's foot' by the Native Americans of New England as it seemed to crop up in the very footsteps of the settlers (5).  The leaves are very resistant to trampling, and as a result they were thought to heal bruises and wounds caused by crushing (4). They were also used to treat ulcers and sores (5). Under the name 'way-bread' it was one of the nine sacred herbs of the Anglo-Saxons. In fact the leaves do actually contain tannins and certain astringent substances that soothe cuts and nettle stings (4), and they are still used in parts of Shetland for burns and wounds (5).