variegated yellow archangel

(Lamium galeobdolon ssp. argentatum)

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

NNA - Not applicable

Minnesota

not listed

Weed Status

Yellow archangel is listed as a noxious weed in Washington and Oregon, and it is listed as an invasive species in New Jersey. It is not listed in Minnesota.

 
variegated yellow archangel
Photo by Bill Reynolds
 
Description

Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon) is an exotic flowering plant in the Mint family. It is native to Europe and western Asia. It has been widely introduced as a garden plant in the United States and Canada, and it sometimes escapes cultivation. There are four subspecies of yellow archangel. Only one, variegated yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon ssp. argentatum), has been introduced into the United States.

Variegated yellow archangel is a 6 to 24 tall perennial forb that rises from a creeping underground stem (rhizome). It spreads by producing creeping above-ground runners (stolons) that root and produce another plant at the nodes. The stolons have large leaves.

The stems are square, and sparsely hairy. They may be erect, lay on the ground with the tip ascending (decumbent), or lay flat on the ground (prostrate).

Stem leaves are opposite, ¾ to 3½ long, and 1.2 to 2 times longer than wide. They are on to 1¼ long leaf stalks. The leaves become smaller and shorter stalked as they ascend the stem. Upper leaves are stalkless. The leaf blades are broadly egg-shaped, straight across to more or less heart-shaped at the base, and taper to a point at the tip with straight or concave sides along the tip. The upper and lower surfaces are sparsely covered with appressed hairs. The upper surface is marked with spots or patches of silver (variegated). The underside is often purplish. The margins are coarsely toothed with rounded or sharp teeth.

The inflorescence is a pair of opposite branched clusters (cymes), at the end of the stem and rising from opposite leaf axils, that form a false whorl (verticillaster). There are usually 4 or 5 verticillasters per plant. Each verticillaster has 2 to 10 flowers.

Each flower is to 1 long. There are 5 sepals, 5 petals, 4 stamens, and 1 style. The sepals are green, ¼ to long, and are fused at the base into a calyx tube then separated at the tip into 5 more or less equal lobes. The petals are bright yellow. They are fused at the base into a slender corolla tube then separated at the tip into 2 widely spreading lips. The corolla tube has a ring of hairs inside and is longer than the calyx tube. The upper lip is hood-like, unlobed, and has long, stiff, spreading hairs on the margin. The lower lip has 3 more or less equally sized lobes with brown markings. The stamens do not extend beyond the hooded upper lip. The style is about as long as the corolla and has 2 lobes at the tip.

The fruit is four egg-shaped nutlets.

 

Height

6 to 24

 

Flower Color

Yellow

 

Similar Species

 
Habitat

Moist. Woodlands. Full to partial shade.

Ecology

Flowering

April to June

 

Pests and Diseases

 

Use

 

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 7, 22, 24, 29, 30.

5/21/2024    
     

Nativity

Native to Europe and western Asia. Cultivated and escaped cultivation. Naturalized in parts of North America.

     

Occurrence

Uncommon in Minnesota but increasing

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae (green algae and land plants)

Subkingdom

Viridiplantae (green plants)

Infrakingdom

Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)

Superdivision

Embryophyta (land plants)

Division

Tracheophyta (vascular plants)

Subdivision

Spermatophytina (seed plants) / Angiospermae (flowering plants)

Class

Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)

Superorder

Asteranae

Order

Lamiales (mints, plantains, olives, and allies)

Family

Lamiaceae (mint)

Subfamily

Scutellarioideae

Tribe

Lamieae

Genus

Lamium (deadnettles)

Species

Lamium galeobdolon (yellow archangel)

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

Galeobdolon luteum

Galeopsis galeobdolon

Lamiastrum galeobdolon ssp. argentatum

   

Common Names

variegated yellow archangel

yellow archangel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Axil

The upper angle where a branch, stem, leaf stalk, or vein diverges.

 

Calyx

The group of outer floral leaves (sepals) below the petals, occasionally forming a tube.

 

Corolla

A collective name for all of the petals of a flower.

 

Cyme

A branched, flat-topped or convex flower cluster in which the terminal flower opens first and the outermost flowers open last.

 

Node

The small swelling of the stem from which one or more leaves, branches, or buds originate.

 

Rhizome

A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.

 

Stolon

An above-ground, creeping stem that grows along the ground and produces roots and sometimes new plants at its nodes. A runner.

 

Verticillaster

A pair of cymes rising from opposite leaf clusters that creates a false whorl.

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Doug Hansell

variegated yellow archangel  

variegated yellow archangel

 

The area in red is where the plants are located.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See attached map of Wood Pond Park  

 

Bill Reynolds

I understand from my research today that is an invasive plant in many areas throughout the US of A. The Yellow Archangel is from Europe and has escaped our garden into our wild environments of Minnesota. I don't recall the exact spot, since I took the photo back in 2006, but the area was just south of Canyon Mn off the MacArthur rd. I know its not a wild flower, but it might good to add for identification purposes, for it took most of my afternoon and help from people at Minnesota Wildflower to identified it.

Though its an escapee, its quite the looker!

 

variegated yellow archangel

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Slideshows

Yellow Archangel
Wez Smith

Yellow Archangel
About

Yellow Archangel (Lamium galeobdolon ssp. argentatum).

BIO 101: Yellow Archangel
Sadie Sullivan

About

Published on Dec 1, 2013

No description available.

L.E.A.D. Service Learning (Yellow Archangel)
Molly Whipple

About

Published on Dec 2, 2013

This is my culminating project for Biology 101. This video describes my experience working with L.E.A.D., facts about the Yellow Archangel, and describes how this invasive plant relates to topics we learned over the quarter including ecology, photosynthesis, and biodiversity. Information on the Yellow Archangel was found from Western's L.E.A.D. website. All other information was collected from Lab/In Class lectures.

 

slideshow

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Other Videos

Yellow Archangel - Lamium galeobdolon
PrettyWorld2011

About

Uploaded on Apr 20, 2011

http://www.InBloomThisWeek.com Perennial yellow archangel - Lamium species

 

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Visitor Sightings
 

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Doug Hansell
5/20/2024

Location: Wood Park, Burnsville

yellow archangel
Bill Reynolds
5/21/2006

Location: St. Louis County, just south of Canyon Mn off the MacArthur Rd.

I understand from my research today that is an invasive plant in many areas throughout the US of A. The Yellow Archangel is from Europe and has escaped our garden into our wild environments of Minnesota. I don't recall the exact spot, since I took the photo back in 2006, but the area was just south of Canyon Mn off the MacArthur rd. I know its not a wild flower, but it might good to add for identification purposes, for it took most of my afternoon and help from people at Minnesota Wildflower to identified it.

Though its an escapee, its quite the looker!

yellow archangel
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