Read everything you need to know about the Braunelle in the commented profile here. Learn about common Prunella species with tips for use, planting and propagation.
What are the characteristics of a Braunelle plant?
The Braunelle, botanically Prunella, includes hardy, partly edible plants from the mint family category (Lamiaceae). Typical characteristics are their herbaceous growth, runner formation, wintergreen leaves and flowering time between June and October. Their use is for ornamental and medicinal plant purposes.
Profile
- Scientific name: Prunella
- Family: Mint family (Lamiaceae)
- Genus: Brownella with 7-15 species
- Synonym: Brunella
- Growth type: herbaceous perennials
- Growth: creeping, runner-forming
- Leaf: wintergreen, evergreen
- Flower: panicle false spike
- Flowering period: June to October
- Fruit: Claus Fruit
- Winter hardiness: hardy
- Toxicity: not poisonous, partly edible
- Use: ground cover, ornamental perennial, medicinal plant
Species
Two Braunella species with different characteristics are widespread in Germany. The following table provides an overview:
| Prunella species | Little Brownelle | Large-flowered Braunelle |
|---|---|---|
| Botanical name | Prunella vulgaris | Prunella grandiflora |
| Synonyms | Common Braunelle, Common Braunelle | Greater Braunelle, Greater Brunelle |
| Growth | creeping, ground cover | carpet-forming, upright flower stalks |
| Growth height | 5 cm to 20 cm | 10 cm to 30 cm |
| Growth width | 50 cm to 80 cm | 25 cm to 35 cm |
| Occurrences | Wet meadows, forest clearings | limestone grassland, limestone clay soil |
| Special license plate | top leaf directly below the inflorescence | top leaf 1-5 cm below the inflorescence |
As a result of global warming, a third species of Braunella is spreading steadily from the south. The white brownwort (Prunella laciniata) is native to the Mediterranean and can be identified by its white labial flowers. The Mediterranean newcomer can be found on stony southern slopes, on dry poor meadows and in sparse forests.
Bloom
With its distinctive flowers, the Braunelle wins sympathy points among hobby gardeners. One look at the colorful inflorescence makes us forget the epically long runners that make the small brownwort unpopular as a weed. These characteristics characterize a Prunella flower:
- Inflorescence: Mock spike with numerous, densely packed individual flowers
- Inflorescence shape: ovate to roundish-ovoid
- Inflorescence size: 1 cm to 4 cm
- Flower color: purple-violet, blue-violet, reddish-pink or white
- Position: terminal
When Brunelles put on their floral robe, wild bees, bumblebees and butterflies are there. With an insect value of 4, common brownnock and large-flowered brownnock are among the traditional plants that cannot be missed in a bee-friendly garden.
Growth
Characteristic for the growth of Braunella are above-ground, rooted runners, with the help of which the perennials can also multiply. This creates a dense, ground-covering carpet that produces flowers from June to October. Because the survival organs are also located on the surface, a brownnock does not retreat completely. Only the wintergreen leaves move in for a short time in late winter and make room for fresh leaf shoots.
Usage
Prunella vulgaris is the perfect wild perennial for a natural garden design. The Little Braunelle comes into its own as a flowering ground cover under mixed hedges or a rustic Benje hedge. Instead of demonizing the common brownnock as a lawn weed, creative hobby gardeners use the natural beauty as a distinctive joint filler on paved paths. Since the Middle Ages, the common Brunella has been known as a medicinal plant with antibacterial and regenerating ingredients, as the following video demonstrates:
Video: Little Braunelle with tips for using it as a medicinal plant
Prunella grandiflora thrives with a perennial character. The Large-flowered Braunelle lives up to its name and is tough. These advantages recommend large Brunella for greening difficult locations, such as roof gardens in full sun or tree sections in the partial shade of mighty foliage crowns. The greater brownwort has no significance as a medicinal plant.
Leaf
The leaves play the basic green chord in the natural appearance of a brownnock. Thanks to the following leaf properties, the rural charm is retained even outside of the flowering period:
- Leaf shape: stalked, ovate-lanceolate, thin to loosely hairy on both sides
- Size: 2 cm to 5 cm long, 1 cm to 3 cm wide
- Leaf edge: smooth or slightly notched
- Arrangement: opposite
With its deep green leaves, the Braunelle cheers up the dreary winter. In mild vineyard regions, the wintergreen wild perennial usually thrives as an evergreen.
Planting Brownelle
The Braunelle often finds itself in the natural garden on its own. Hobby gardeners simply have to propagate the wild perennial and plant it in the desired location. Sowing seeds is suitable for large-scale greening. Pre-grown premium varieties decorate balconies and terraces as potted plants. You can read how to plant Prunella correctly here:
Propagate
If a Brunella is already thriving in the garden, you can propagate the perennial by dividing it. The best time is in autumn after the flowering period. A second window of opportunity opens in spring as soon as the ground has thawed. Cut off the runners with a spade. Dig up the root ball and place it on a firm surface. Divide the bale into several segments. Plant each section in the new location or in a pot, as the following short instructions explain.
Location
Basically, the Braunelle grows wherever you plant the perennial. The wild perennial develops its natural optimum at the following location:
- Prunella vulgaris: sunny to shady location
- Soil quality: fresh to moist, nutrient-rich, low in lime
- Prunella grandiflora: sun to partial shade
- Soil texture: dry to fresh, stony-sandy to sandy-loamy, preferably with a high lime content
Plants in the bed
Purchased or propagated young plants look great in small groups. Dig a planting pit for each Braunelle with 1.5 times the volume of the root ball. The correct planting distance is 25 centimeters. Mix a handful of compost or horn shavings into the excavation as starter fertilizer. Place each specimen just as deep in the soil as before in the cultivation pot or before division. Press the soil firmly with both hands and water.
Plants in pots
A mixture of peat-free potting soil, coconut soil as a peat substitute and expanded clay is suitable as a potting substrate. Please place a curved pottery shard over the bottom opening to protect against waterlogging. The further procedure corresponds to planting in the bed.
Sowing
Sowing in hobby gardens has proven to be excellent for using Braunella as a ground cover. The right time ensures that the cooling germs receive the necessary cold stimulus naturally. For germination, temperatures of around 5° Celsius are required for a period of 4 weeks. How to sow Prunella seeds correctly:
- Best time is in autumn or April.
- Weed the site, rake and smooth the soil.
- Spread seeds widely.
- Work light germinators lightly into the soil.
- Press small seedbed with hands, roll large seedbed.
- Pour with a fine spray.
The extremely fine seeds are very productive. 0.5 grams contains 700 seeds. For even distribution, we recommend mixing the seeds with bird sand.
Excursus
Brownelle on land and in the air
Botanists and ornithologists showed little imagination when choosing this name: The term Braunella (Prunella) refers, on the one hand, to the plant genus from the mint family and, on the other hand, to the bird genus from the order of passerines. Fortunately, this analogy between German and scientific names is a rare exception.
Care for Braunelle
The Braunelle is easy to care for in every respect. Water and nutrient requirements are low. Pruning at the right time extends the flowering period and regulates invasive self-seeding. The best care tips for Prunella species in a nutshell:
- Watering: water in the bed during dry periods in summer, water regularly in the pot when the soil is dry.
- Fertilizing: fertilize as a ground cover with compost in March, fertilize liquidly in pots every 14 days from April to September.
- Cutting: clean out withered flowers in August, cut off the remaining flowers above the leafy shoots in October.
- Winter care: without snow cover, water occasionally on mild days, do not fertilize.
Brownella are hardy in beds down to -35° Celsius. Potted plants can overwinter outside as long as you place the container on wood and cover it with fleece.
Fighting in the lawn
As an uninvited guest, the Little Brownelle can be a nuisance in the lawn. The creeping runners are spreading rapidly and making life difficult for noble lawn grasses. How to get rid of lawn weeds:
- Pull out isolated Prunella nests by hand or remove them with a hand scarifier.
- Scarify and fertilize the lawn twice a year.
- Determine the pH value with a test set (€22.00 at Amazon) and lime the lawn if the value is below 6.
In the natural garden, the high-maintenance lawn has had its day. Ecologically valuable solutions as lawn replacements are on the rise. Hard-wearing white clover and small brownwort with a sea of white and blue-violet flowers are very popular in summer.
Popular varieties
The Large-flowered Braunelle is the mother of numerous, beautiful varieties that show off their blooms in the perennial bed and on the balcony:
- Freelander Blue: Large-flowered brown nelle with blue flowers from May to October, which forms a few above-ground runners.
- Bella Rose: decorative Prunella grandiflora with pink inflorescences, clump-forming, height 20-30 cm.
- Loveliness: magnificent garden brownnock for the perennial bed impresses with light purple flowers, height 20-30 cm.
- Alba: white Prunella premium variety without runners, also blooms in partial shade, height 15-20 cm.
- Rubra: enchants with strong pink flowers from June to September as a picturesque ground cover, plant height 5-10 cm.
FAQ
Is the Braunelle edible?
The widespread Braunelle is an edible wild herb with he althy ingredients. With a slightly bitter taste, flowers, leaves and young shoot tips give numerous dishes a special aroma. Use blue-purple Braunella flowers as a tasty salad ingredient. Young leaves refine vegetables, soups or sauces and harmonize delicately with quark and cream cheese.
What to do against small brown nuggets in the lawn?
An effective method against small brown necrosis in the lawn is regular scarification. Rotating knives comb out the rooted runners. You can pluck out local Prunella nests by hand or remove them with a hand scarifier.
What healing properties does the Brunella plant have?
The small brownwort (Prunella vulgaris) has been known as a medicinal plant since the Middle Ages with a high proportion of essential oils and tannins. The healing effect is antibacterial, astringent, hemostatic and antispasmodic. The wild herb is also said to have a diuretic effect. Before the invention of antibiotics, the Brunella plant was used, among other things, to treat diphtheria. Other areas of application include sore throats, skin inflammation, flatulence, menopausal symptoms and menstrual pain.
