LAMB'S-EAR

Stachys byzantina

Mint / Dead-Nettle Family [Lamiaceae]

month8apr month8april month8may month8jun month8june month8jul month8july

status
statusZneophyte
 
flower
flower8bicolour
 
flower
flower8mauve
 
inner
inner8purple
 
morph
morph8zygo
 
petals
petalsZ5 petalsZ4
 
stem
stem8square
 

25th Sept 2010, Silverdale, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Spreading rampant in a farmers field near habitation. Lamb's-ear is renown for its cover ground ability.


25th Sept 2010, Silverdale, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Hairy square stems arising from the centre of a few basal leaves. Stem leaves in opposite pairs, most just below the flowers which are in distinct whorls on the upper part of the stem, alas here all spent.


8th June 2014, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
Nicely isolated.


8th June 2014, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
A side portrait of a flower


8th June 2014, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
Full frontal of flower with 4 anthers, two higher than the lower two which are reflexed downwards.


8th June 2014, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
The style is white with a double prong at the end (the stigmas) huddled between the two taller anthers.


25th Sept 2010, Silverdale, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The now brown woolly hairy sepal tubes having lost the purple bi-symmetric flowers.


25th Sept 2010, Silverdale, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Leaves light green underneath a mat of course hairs. Lamb's-ear is better known for its foliage rather than its flowers


25th Sept 2010, Silverdale, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
All leaves oval to shoe-horn shaped and roughly hairy, so shapen and woolly that they are said to resemble lambs ears.




A GARDEN VARIETY

Much more wooly

23rd May 2010, Parbold, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Garden Variety. Lamb's-ear is renown for its cover ground ability.


15th June 2010, Grange over Sands, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Garden Variety. Flowers so woolly hairy as to be almost hidden by white.


15th June 2010, Grange over Sands, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Garden Variety. Bi-lateral purple flowers in whorls up the stem.


15th June 2010, Grange over Sands, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Garden Variety. The five dark triangular points poking out amidst the white hairs are the sepals.


15th June 2010, Grange over Sands, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Garden Variety. The five triangular sepals amidst the mass of white woolly hairs.


15th June 2010, Grange over Sands, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Garden Variety. The flowers are the typical Wondwort two-lipped, purple with white markings. The lower lip having three lobes. The flower itself has only very short hairs.


A popular garden plant, planted mainly for its woolly foliage rather than its flowers. There are several cultivated variants: 'Cotton Bolls' which has no (visible) flowers just a lot of woolly balls in their place, and 'Big Ears' which has longer leaves. Spreads like wild-fire, especially the many non-flowering rosettes of basal leaves, so it makes a good 'ground-cover' plant. Escapes into the wild with ease.

Some similarities to : Downy Woundwort (Stachy germanica) in that both are very hairy, but the hairs of Downy Woundwort are long and grey and less densely matted rather than long, white and thickly matted.

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature : Purple woundwort-type flowers on a plant covered in a thick white mat of woolly hairs. Leaves whitish due to the woolly hairs.


  Stachys byzantina  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Lamiaceae  

Distribution
 family8Mint / Dead-Nettle family8Lamiaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Stachys
Stachys
(Woundworts)

LAMB'S-EAR

Stachys byzantina

Mint / Dead-Nettle Family [Lamiaceae]

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