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

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

Northern bugleweed (L. americanus) is very similar, but its leaves are merely toothed, not lobed. Virginia bugleweed (L. virginicus) is also similar, but it too has merely toothed leaves. It has not been reported in Wildwood, but would not be unexpected.