Common Names
Culver’s physic, Beaumont root, blackroot, bowman’s root, culver’s root, physic root, tall speedwell, whorlywort.

Description
An erect, unbranched, smooth perennial that grows to 7 feet in height. Leaves are narrowly lanceolate and in whorls of 3 to 9 around the stem joints. Flowers are white to bluish, and crowded in several dense spikes on top of plant.

Flowering Period
June to September.

Habitat
Rich woods, thickets, moist meadows, and prairies.

Harvest
Rhizomes and roots.

Uses
The rhizome is reputed to be a laxative, emetic, cholagogue, and tonic.