Nipplewort (Lapsana Communis)
© Andy Cantwell

Nipplewort (Lapsana Communis)

Date added: 01/09/2022 07:57:28
Author: Joan Stacey

Once we identified this annual plant with an interesting name, we found it to be very widespread in the Cemetery throughout June to October.

It can be found on waste and disturbed ground, roadsides and in woodland. Geological evidence found in Pre-glacial beds in Suffolk shows it is a truly native species.

Its height varies widely depending on the habitat and the weather, and the wiry stems are branched and leafy bearing flowers which are made up of pale yellow florets which open in the sun and close in the shade. The seeds are similar to those of the Dandelion and are dispersed by the wind.

It is the shape of the unopened buds which give it its name guiding medical men in the long distant past who used the ‘Doctrine of Signatures’ to help them find cures. This theory was based on the belief that Nature marks each plant according to its curative benefit. Thus Liverwort, Toothwort and Lungwort are obvious examples, Woundwort would have been used to heal wounds and Walnut for maladies of the brain - the shape of the shelled nut bears an uncanny resemblance to the brain. Nipplewort, of course, was used to treat breast ulcers. Sadly, these treatments would have been ineffectual and unreliable at best and dangerous and possibly fatal at worst.

© FNRC