Lamium galeobdolon

Yellow Archangel
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamium
Genus:	Lamium
Species:	L. galeobdolon
Binomial name
Lamium galeobdolon (L.) Ehrend. & Polatschek
Synonyms
Galeobdolon luteum Huds. Galeopsis galeobdolon L. Lamiastrum galeobdolon (L.) Ehrend. & Polatschek

Lamium galeobdolon, commonly known as yellow archangel, is a widespread wildflower in Europe, and has been introduced elsewhere as a garden plant. It displays the zygomorphic flower morphology, opposite leaves, and square stem typical of the mint family, Lamiaceae. The flowers are soft yellow and borne in axial clusters, with a prominent 'hood' (the dorsal lobe of the corolla) similar to that of Lamium. It works well as a ground cover because it spreads easily. Caution must be taken when planting due to its invasiveness.^{[citation needed]}

There are a number of closely related taxa which hybridize with L. galeobdolon and in some cases are not unequivocally accepted as distinct species but considered subspecies or varieties by many authors.^{[citation needed]} Most well-known among these is variegated yellow archangel (subsp. argentatum), whose leaves often have variegation, showing as silver patches arranged as a wide semicircle. This, and in particular its large-flowered and even stronger-marked cultivar 'variegatum', is the taxon most often met with as a garden escapee.

Planted for “beauty” as a “robust groundcover”, the variegated yellow archangel can form thick mats within the forest understory, out-competing more valuable food plants like stinging nettle.^{[citation needed]}

Subspecies

• Lamium galeobdolon subsp. argentatum
• Lamium galeobdolon subsp. endtmanii
• Lamium galeobdolon subsp. flavidum
• Lamium galeobdolon subsp. galeobdolon
• Lamium galeobdolon subsp. montanum