Erect aromatic plant, 1-2 feet tall, with square stems. Leaves tapering at both ends, with shallow teeth, green, opposite each other. Flowers stalkless, in rings around the stem just above the leaves, tiny, white, often purple-spotted, with 2 lips. Upper lip notched, lower lip with one large and two smaller lobes. Blooms in late summer.

Native plant of wet open areas. In Wildwood occasional in the entrance wetland.

Water horehound (L. americanus) is very similar, but its lower leaves have lobes instead of teeth. Virginia bugleweed (L. virginicus) is also very similar, but it has deeper teeth on the leaves and leaves are usuallywider and dark green or purplish. It has not been reported in Wildwood, but would not be unexpected.