Appearance
''Lamium maculatum'' is a prostrate, spreading herbaceous perennial. This species is very variable in terms of leaf size and shape, hairiness and flower colours. It reaches on average 20–80 centimetres in height.It has erect, hollow and pubescent stems, branched at the base only. The soft hairy leaf blades are about 8 inches long. They are spotted , toothed with long petioles, about 2–4 centimetres long. Their shape varies from ovate-triangular to heart-shaped. The inflorescence bears about two to eight hermaphrodite flowers about 20–30 millimetres long.
The flowers of the plant are formed in the leaf axils of the upper leaf pairs. The upper lips of the flowers are helmet-shaped, usually pink or purplish, while the bilobate lower ones are whitish with purple dots. The stamens are located in the upper lip and have orange pollen. The flowering period extends from April through November.
It tends to grow higher in spring while during the colder weather it is much flatter to the ground. If subjected to light frost, ''L. maculatum'' will recover in spring as it enters its growth cycle.
Habitat
It grows in a variety of habitats from open grassland to woodland, generally on moist, fertile soils at an altitude of 0–1,200 metres above sea level.References:
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