Common restharrow

Common restharrow (Ononis repens) is found in rough grassy places and in coastal locations such as sand dunes.

Common restharrow grows up to 24 inches (60 centimetres) high but also produces stems that trail along the ground and root themselves at intervals. The plant flowers from June to September, the flowers being pink and having some of the petals longer than others.

It gets its name from the fact that it was once an annoying weed to find on farmland in the days before tractors. A horse-drawn plough or harrow would often be slowed when it came into contact with the tough roots and stems of this plant, which would therefore “rest” the harrow.

It was also a bane of the dairy farmer because cattle that ate enough of it in the fields would produce milk with an unpleasant flavour. The plant was formerly known as “cammock” and “cammocky” is an old word meaning “tainted”.

Despite the above, common restharrow has had its uses in the past. Another folk name is “wild liquorice”, because children used to dig up the underground stems and chew them for their liquorice-like flavour. In past times the plant had medicinal applications, with treatments for kidney disorders, gallstones and ulcers being derived from it.