Lamium purpureum, var. incisum

red deadnettle
Lamium purpureum, var. incisum.  Photo: Jo Parmenter

Bob Leaney and Jo Parmenter encountered this specimen during a socially-distanced walk near Woodbastwick in late January. This plant is easily mistaken for straightforward Lamium purpureum, but is strikingly larger, with more sharply-toothed, slightly glossy mid-green leaves, and larger calyx size, and looks for all the world like a pink-flowered Lamium album. Although the calyx size falls just within the size-range of Lamium maculatum (which can be upright and unspotted) and above that of L purpureum s.s., the corolla size is smaller than that of L. maculatum.  Sell & Murrell treat it as a variety of Lamium purpureum, var. incisum.

 

Jo Parmenter and Bob Leaney
30.01.2021