Yellow Archangel or False Lamium

Lamiaceae [also known as Labiatae] - Mint Family

Form

• medium-sized, semi-evergreen perennial groundcover ('Variegata') or small herbaceous semi-evergreen perennial ('Herman's Pride'), depending upon cultivar
• maturing at about 1' tall by 1.5' wide ('Variegata') or 1' tall by 1' wide ('Herman's Pride')
• either a procumbent mat ('Variegata') or radiating clump ('Herman's Pride') growth habit, depending upon cultivar
• slow growth rate (of perimeter spread for 'Variegata')

Culture

• partial sun to full shade
• needs a moist, well-drained, rich soil in partial shade for optimum performance; tolerant of heat, occasionally dry soils, average soils, and soils of various pH, but not tolerant of full sun
• propagated by crown division or rooted stem cuttings
• Mint Family, with no disease problems, but slug and snail pest problems affect the foliage on occasion
• moderately available in containers or flats

Foliage

• medium to dark green (cultivars are silver-variegated), opposite, ovate, with an acute tip
• margins may be dentate to serrate ('Herman's Pride') or crenate ('Variegatum')
• basal leaves have long petioles, while leaves on the upper stems are sessile
• emerges in March and grows rapidly in April and May
• entire plant slowly dies back to the ground during Winter (often evergreen in Southern climates)

Flowers

• yellow, with a "hooded" upper petal and "lipped" lower petal that are characteristic of the Mint family
• flowering in April and May and sporadically thereafter
• numerous clusters of small flowers occur at the stem nodes and also at the stem termini

Fruits

• brown and ornamentally inconspicuous

Twigs

• stems are square, somewhat pubescent, and green

Trunk

• not applicable

ID Summary

• for 'Herman's Pride", the silver-variegated, ovate, sharply dentate and acuminate leaves are oppositely borne on upright stems, with sharp demarcations between the green veins and the silver leaf; this cultivar is a clump perennial with yellow Spring flowers
• for 'Variegatum', the silver-variegated, ovate, crenate leaves are oppositely borne on trailing stems, with the variegation blending diffusely into the green veins; this cultivar is a groundcover with yellow Spring flowers

USAGE

Function

• edging, border, foundation, or facer groundcover ('Variegata'), or clump perennial ('Herman's Pride'), used especially in shaded areas

Texture

• medium texture
• thick density

Assets

• dense silver-variegated foliage, found as a mounding to spreading groundcover or clump perennial, depending upon cultivar
• yellow Spring flowers

Liabilities

• the groundcover form may become slowly invasive by stolons or rambling stems
• the groundcover form attracts leaf litter in late Autumn and Winter
• slugs and snails may be cosmetic pests to the foliage

Habitat

• zones 5 to 8
• native to Europe

SELECTIONS

Alternates

• other groundcovers for shady sites, especially those known for their variegated or semi-evergreen foliage (Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum', Galium odoratum, Lamium maculatum, Liriope muscari, Pachysandra terminalis, Vinca minor 'Ralph Shugert', etc.) or noted for their yellow Spring flowers (Ranunculus repens, Walsteinia fragarioides, etc.)
• partial shade perennials noted for their variegated foliage (Heuchera cultivars, Hosta cultivars, Pulmonaria saccharata, etc.)

Variants

• Lamiastum galeobdolon 'Herman's Pride' - a clump perennial that has sharply acuminate leaf apices and toothed margins, silver foliage with dark green veination, and a compact sphere growth habit, maturing at about 1' tall by 1' wide
• Lamiastrum galeobdolon 'Variegatum' - more rounded and crenate leaves having silver variegation mottled with medium green; the typical groundcover form that looks viney, maturing at about 1' tall by 1.5' wide for an individual plant, but usually planted in masses for a rambling groundcover effect

NOTES

Translation

• Lamiastrum translates as "resembling Lamium", a similar-looking groundcover also in the Mint Family
• galeob translates as "to cover with a helmet," possibly referring to the upper flower petal, while dolon translates as "a fly's sting," with uncertain meaning
• this species is also known (or formerly known) by the scientific names of Lamium galeobdolon and Galeobdolon luteum

Purpose

• Yellow Archangel is a shade-loving, yellow-flowering, silver-variegated groundcover or perennial.

Summary

• Lamiastrum galeobdolon is known for its dense silver-green mounding or mat-forming foliage, yellow Spring flowers, and groundcover or perennial usage in the shady landscape.