Galeobdolon luteum Huds.
aluminium plant
Stoloniferous herb, sometimes forming mats. Stems densely hairy on the angles, purplish. Petioles to c. 8 cm long, slender, hairy. Lamina 3-8 × 2.5-6 cm, sometimes smaller near base of shoots, ovate, or broad-ovate, often rhombic-ovate on flowering stems, with hairs scattered above, more densely hairy below, coarsely crenate or crenate-serrate, with large pale silvery greyish areas on either side of midrib above; base truncate or subcordate; apex ± obtuse. Calyx 8-10 mm long, hairy. Corolla 2-2.5 cm long from base to apex of upper lip, yellow, hairy outside; upper lip 1.2-1.4 cm long, elliptic; lower lip with middle lobe c. 7 mm long, narrow-triangular, streaked brown, acute; lateral lobes rounded. Filaments puberulent, the longer pair > style. Nutlets not seen.
All naturalised material is referable to subsp. luteum cv. 'Variegatum' ; this cv. has recently become popular as an ornamental ground covering plant in shady places, but it is very vigorous and has escaped into surrounding areas. Only cv. 'Variegatum', aluminium plant, seems to have been planted and there is little reversion to the green-leaved form. Aluminium plant is very likely to become more widely naturalised. This sp. has been previously known in N.Z. as Lamium galeobdolon and Lamiastrum galeobdolon, and has sometimes been erroneously referred to as Lamium maculatum.
N.: Little Barrier Id, Levin; S.: Hanmer, Christchurch, Hokitika.
Europe, W. Asia 1988
Scrub, plantation or modified forest in wetter areas.
FL Dec-May.
