Lamium album Flower (07/04/20112, London)
Position: Full sun to partial shade
Flowering period: Spring to autumn
Soil: Moist, well drained
Eventual Height: 1m
Eventual Spread: 1m
Hardiness: 7b – 10a
Family: Lamiaceae
Lamium album is a spreading herbaceous perennial plant with a long flowering period. Its mid green leaves are deltoid with serrate margins, opposite, softly hairy and up to 8cm long and 5cm broad. Its stems are four sided. Its white hermaphrodite flowers are produced in whorls on the upper part of the stem and have a vaguely helmeted appearance. Its dull brown fruit are small nutlets. The roots of this plant are rhizomatous, these aid its spread.
Lamium album, commonly known as White Deadnettle and Bee Nettle, is native throughout Europe (including the UK) and Western Asia. It grows in a variety of habitats including open grassland, hedgerows and woodland habitats. This plant is similar in appearance to the Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica), hence the common name. This similarity deters rabbits from eating this plant.
Lamium album (07/04/20112, London)
The etymological root of the binomial name Lamium is derived from the Greek laimos ’throat’, alluding to the throat like appearance of the blossoms. Album is derived from the Latin for ‘white’, referring to the color of the flower.
The landscape architect may find Lamium album useful in naturalistic type planting schemes, particularly in shady locations.
Ecologically, L. album is attractive to bees and pollinating insects.
L. album prefers moist, fertile, well-drained soils. It tolerates most pH of soil
L. album requires little maintenance.
