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illustration of hound's tongue
figure 1  

 

hound's tongue or dog's tongue. (Cynoglossum officinale) A plant native to Africa, Asia, and Europe. Now an invader in North America where it is considered a problem because its burrs stick to the wool of grazing animals. Eating it can cause photosensitivity.reference 1 It picked up this name because the leaves look like little dog tongues.reference 2

1. Wikipedia contributors. 2007. Cynoglossum. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed Feb 29 2008 from http:// en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Cynoglossum.

2. The Oxford English Dictionary Online. 2005. 3d ed. Accessed Feb 29 2008 from http:// dictionary.oed.com.
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About the illustration: Figure 1 shows the plant in its various forms and stages. I must say that I do not see that the leaves are any more like a dog's tongue than most other long leaves. The image is from Thomé's Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz of 1885. This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.
cf: houndstooth Last updated: May 26, 2008
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