| Yellow Archangel | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamium |
| Genus: | Lamium |
| Species: | L. galeobdolon |
| Binomial name | |
| Lamium galeobdolon (L.) Ehrend. & Polatschek |
|
| Synonyms[1] | |
Lamium galeobdolon, commonly known as yellow archangel, is a widespread wildflower in Europe, and has been introduced elsewhere as a garden plant. It displays the zygomorphic flower morphology, opposite leaves, and square stem typical of the mint family, Lamiaceae. The flowers are soft yellow and borne in axial clusters, with a prominent 'hood' (the dorsal lobe of the corolla) similar to that of Lamium. It works well as a ground cover because it spreads easily. Caution must be taken when planting due to its invasiveness.
There are a number of closely related taxa which hybridize with L. galeobdolon and in some cases are not unequivocally accepted as distinct species but considered subspecies or varieties by many authors. Most well-known among these is variegated yellow archangel (subsp. argentatum), whose leaves often have variegation, showing as silver patches arranged as a wide semicircle. This, and in particular its large-flowered and even stronger-marked cultivar 'variegatum', is the taxon most often met with as a garden escapee.