Latin name: Lapsana communis
Common name: Nipplewort
Other names: Ballogan, holgan weed, poor man’s friend, succory dock-cress
How to spot it and where to find it: Found in cultivated fields, wasteland, field and woodland margins and hedgerows, nipplewort looks similar to the dandelion and, in gardens, is considered a common weed. Its pale yellow flowers, formed on slender, erect stems, are smaller than those of the dandelion and only open in sunshine.
Interesting facts: The name Lapsana is Latin for ‘charlock’, a wild mustard that nipplewort is said to resemble. Communis simply means ‘growing in company’; where there is one nipplewort plant, there will be plenty. The common name comes not only from the fact that the seed capsule of the plant resembles a nipple but also its medicinal properties…
