Lamium
Lamium is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Eurasia and northern Africa, with several widely naturalised across much of the temperate world.
Description
The genus includes both annual and perennial species; they spread by both seeds and stems rooting as they grow along the ground. They have square stems and coarsely textured pairs of leaves, often with striking patterns or variegation. They produce double-lipped flowers in a wide range of colours.Taxonomy
In volume 2 of Species Plantarum published in 1753, the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus established genus Lamium by recognizing four species: Lamium album, Lamium purpureum, Lamium amplexicaule, and Lamium multifidum. The name Lamium is the primary generic name in use today., Plants of the World Online accepts the following species:Lamium album L. – – widespread across Europe + northern Asia from Spain + Norway to Japan + Kamchatka; naturalised in New Zealand + North AmericaLamium amplexicaule L. – – widespread across Europe and northern Asia from Spain + Norway to Japan + Kamchatka, as well as North Africa, Ethiopia, Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands; naturalised in New Zealand, Hawaii, South America + North AmericaLamium bakhtiaricum Jamzad – IranLamium bifidum Cirillo – Mediterranean from Portugal to RomaniaLamium bilgilii Celep – TurkeyLamium cappadocicum Celep & Karaer – TurkeyLamium caucasicum Grossh. – Caucasus Lamium confertum Fr. – – northern Europe from Ireland to northern Russia; naturalised in Greenland + IcelandLamium coutinhoi J.G.García – PortugalLamium cyrneum Paradis – CorsicaLamium demirizii A.P.Khokhr. – TurkeyLamium eriocephalum Benth. – TurkeyLamium flexuosum Ten. – Spain, France, Italy, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia Lamium galactophyllum Boiss. & Reut. – TurkeyLamium galeobdolon L. – – northern + central Europe and western Asia from Spain + Denmark east to Iran + Western Siberia; naturalised in North America, New Zealand, MadeiraLamium garganicum L. – Mediterranean + western Asia from Portugal to Kazakhstan + Saudi ArabiaLamium gevorense Gómez Hern. & A.Pujadas – Spain, Portugal, CorsicaLamium glaberrimum Taliev – CrimeaLamium × holsaticum Prahl – central Europe Lamium hybridum Vill. – – Europe, Macaronesia, North AfricaLamium macrodon Boiss. & A.Huet – Turkey, Caucasus, Syria, Iran, IraqLamium maculatum L. – – Europe + Middle East from Portugal to Turkey; also Gansu + Xinjiang Provinces of western ChinaLamium moschatum Mill. – eastern Mediterranean Lamium multifidum L. – Turkey, CaucasusLamium orientale E.H.L.Krause – Turkey, Syria, PalestineLamium orvala L. – Austria, Italy, Hungary, SloveniaLamium purpureum L. – northern + central Europe and western Asia from Spain + Denmark east to Caucasus + Siberia; naturalised in Korea, Taiwan, North America, New Zealand, Argentina, Falkland IslandsLamium taiwanense S.S.Ying – TaiwanLamium × schroeteri Gams – France, Switzerland, HungaryLamium tomentosum Willd. – Turkey, Caucasus, Iran, IraqLamium tschorochense A.P.Khokhr. – TurkeyLamium vreemanii A.P.Khokhr. – Turkey
Several closely related genera were formerly included in Lamium by some botanists, including Galeopsis and Leonurus.
Etymology
The generic name Lamium was used by Pliny the Elder in the first century AD. The name comes from the Greek laimos, which means "gullet", a reference to the gaping throat-like appearance of the corolla.The common name "dead-nettle" has been derived from the German Taubnessel, and refers to the resemblance of Lamium album to the very distantly related stinging nettles, but unlike those, they do not have stinging hairs and so are harmless or apparently "dead".