Royal Horticultural Society - Plants: Key to Lamium maculatum

Key to Lamium maculatum in RHS Trial 1998

1a	Flowers white	2
b	Flowers not white	6
2a	Leaves without markings at any time of year	'Annecy'
b	Leaves with markings, at least in winter	3
3a	Leaves yellow variegated with white stripe	'Ickwell Beauty'
b	Leaves with white markings but no yellow variegation	4
4a	Leaves with narrow green margin and white centre	'White Nancy'
b	Leaves with a white stripe in centre	5
5a	Leaves with a broad white stripe; flowers pure white	'Album'
b	Leaves with a narrow white stripe in winter; yellow green in summer; flowers with faint pink tinge	'Wild White'
6a	Leaves green and without markings at any time of year	7
b	Leaves either marked with white or yellow, or suffused yellow	9
7a	Flowers pink	'Brightstone Pearl'
b	Flowers purple	8
8a	Winter foliage green; flowers purple	'Immaculate'
b	Winter foliage purple, summer foliage tinged red; flowers reddish purple	'Purple Winter'
9a	Leaves variegated yellow	10
b	Leaves not variegated yellow but sometimes suffused gold	13
10a	Foliage variously spotted, blotched or streaked yellow	11
b	Foliage yellow to greenish yellow with faint white stripe, but not streaked or blotched	'Aureum'
11a	Leaves with broad gold margin and narrow silver stripe	'Golden Anniversary'
b	Leaves not as above	12
12a	Leaves yellow blotched or splashed or yellow all over; stems green to reddish brown	'Elizabeth de Haas'
b	Leaves very changeable, often speckled yellow but not splashed; stems very dark purple red	'Changeling'
13a	Flowers pink	14
b	Flowers red-purple	18
14a	Leaves white with narrow green margin	15
b	Leaves green with narrow white stripe	'Pink Pearls'
15a	Plant spreading to sprawling	16
b	Plant compact, low growing	'Pink Nancy'
16a	Leaves with gold sheen	'Forncett Lustre'
b	Leaves without gold sheen	17
17a	Leaves curled under; flowers very pale pink	'Peck's Pink'
b	Leaves flat	'Dingle Candy', 'James Boyd Parselle', 'Pink Pewter' and 'Wootton Pink' See note 1
18a	Winter leaves green with white central stripe	19
b	Winter leaves white with narrow green margin	21
19a	Leaves green with narrow white central stripe; plant very upright	'Chequers'
b	Leaves green with broad white central stripe	20
20a	Flowers with white-edged upper lip	'Chequers Board'
b	Flowers without white-edged upper lip	maculatum
21a	Winter leaves white with green edge; summer leaves green with white central stripe	'Hatfield'
b	Leaves white with green edge all year round	22
22a	Plant compact; flowers purplish-red to cerise; stems dark red	'Red Nancy'
b	Plant not compact; flowers red-purple	'Beacon Silver'

Note 1 There are several cultivars with white leaves and pink flowers which are difficult to distinguish with certainty without others for comparison

'Dingle Candy' has smaller flowers long of a clear pink colour; dark green-margined leaves, and dwarf habit; 'Wootton Pink' has slightly paler pink but slightly larger flowers and a more compact habit; 'Pink Pewter' has green-edged leaves and soft salmon pink flowers; 'James Boyd Parselle' should have a dwarfer habit, dark green-edged leaves and bright pink flowers but was not represented in the trial.

Lamium Descriptions

'Album'

Flowers	Pure white
Stems	Green
Habit	Fairly compact
Leaves	Blue-green leaf with wide central silver stripe

'Annecy'

Flowers	Pure white; elongated inflorescence with many bracts; early
Stems	Green
Habit	Tall, upright, vigorous
Leaves	Clear green, unmarked; margins jagged
Origin	Found on a building site in Annecy, France by Kathleen Inman

'Aureum' (syn. 'Golden Nuggets')

Flowers	Red purple, slightly paler than most red purple flowered cultivars
Stems	Pale green sometimes with bronze tinge
Habit	Compact, not vigorous
Leaves	Yellow to greenish yellow with faint white stripe; fades in sun
Other	Grows best in slight shade

Note: 'Cannon's Gold' is said to be very similar but without a faint white central stripe to leaf. It was not represented in the trial.

'Beacon Silver'

Flowers	Red purple, compact heads
Stems	Bronze to red-brown
Habit	Spreading
Leaves	White with green margin
Origin	Chance seedling in mid 1970s and introduced into trade by Beth Chatto

'Brightstone Pearl'

Flowers	Clear pink with noticeable brownish red calyx
Stems	Green
Habit	Vigorous and rather upright
Leaves	Light green unmarked, margin jagged
Origin	Given to Monksilver Nursery by Jill Butcher c. 1994

'Changeling'

Flowers	Red-purple
Stems	Very dark red
Habit	Spreading
Leaves	Green with narrow white stripe, green to speckled or blotched yellow
Other	More vigorous than 'Elizabeth de Haas' with much redder stems. Foliage may become totally yellow or cream in winter but characteristic was not observed in the trial
Origin	Found by Graham Rice

'Chequers'

Flowers	Red-purple, large with many purple red bracts, very early
Stems	Very dark red to purple
Habit	Upright and very vigorous
Leaves	Green with narrow white stripe; broader than average; young leaves in summer purple red
Other	Darkest flower of all cultivars
Origin	Said to have been named for a local inn (long since renamed) near to where it was found.

'Chequers Board'

Flowers	Red purple; edge of upper lip white; with many dark purple red bracts; calyx very dark purple
Stems	Very dark purplish red
Habit	Upright and vigorous
Leaves	Green with wide white stripe
Origin	Seedling of 'Chequers' found at PW Plants, Kenninghall, Norfolk

'Dingle Candy'

Flowers	Clear pink
Stems	Green with very faint bronze flush
Habit	Spreading
Leaves	White with dark green margin
Origin	Found and introduced by Dingle Nurseries, Welshpool

'Elizabeth de Haas'

Flowers	Red-purple
Stems	Green to reddish brown
Habit	Spreading
Leaves	Green with narrow to broad white stripe, blotched, streaked, splashed or all over yellow; young foliage sometimes purplish
Origin	Found by John Fielding in the London garden of E de Haas

'Forncett Lustre'

Flowers	Salmon pink
Stems	Green with slight bronze flush
Habit	Compact and mounded
Leaves	White with green margin and gold sheen to leaves; leaves curled under
Origin	Found and introduced by John Metcalf of Four Seasons, Norwick

'Golden Anniversary'

Flowers	Red-purple
Stems	Brown
Habit	Vigorous
Leaves	Green with broad yellow margin and narrow white stripe
Origin	Raised by Wayne Eady of Ardelamore Ltd, Wisbech, Cambs. Believed to be a seedling of 'Aurem' crossed with 'White Nancy'. The tricolored foliage is thought to be unique.

'Hatfield'

Flowers	Red-purple
Stems	Red to purple
Habit	Vigorous, fairly upright
Leaves	White with green margin in winter; green with broad white stripe in summer

'Ickwell Beauty'

Flowers	White with faint pink tinge
Stems	Green
Habit	Spreading, low growing
Leaves	Green streaked and splashed yellow with narrow white central stripe
Origin	Found by Danae Johnston

'Immaculate'

Flowers	Purple flowers
Stems	Red to purple stems
Habit	Very strong growing and vigorous
Leaves	Very dark green, coarse, deeply veined, with jagged margins

maculatum

Flowers	Red purple
Stems	Green with a bronze flush
Habit	Vigorous, upright to spreading
Leaves	Green with a broad white stripe

'Peck's Pink'

Flowers	Very pale pink
Stems	Green
Habit	Medium, more or less upright
Leaves	Leaves white with green margin which curl under
Other	Palest pink cultivar in trial
Origin	Found Phil Lusby

'Pink Nancy'

Flowers	Salmon pink
Stems	Green with faint bronze flush
Habit	Compact, not spreading
Leaves	White with green margin

'Pink Pearls'

Flowers	Pink; early
Stems	More or less green
Habit	Low growing
Leaves	Quite dark but fresh green with narrow white stripe, very flat but rather small
Other	Slightly deeper pink flowers than 'Pink Pewter' and related cultivars
Origin	Found by Anne Liverman of Derbyshire

'Pink Pewter'

Flowers	Soft salmon pink
Stems	Green with slight bronze flush
Habit	Fairly upright but also spreading
Leaves	White with green margin
Origin	Found and introduced by John Metcalf of Four Seasons, Norwich

'Purple Winter'

Flowers	Red purple; early
Stems	Very red
Habit	Vigorous upright to spreading
Leaves	Purple in winter and tinged red in summer; broader than average

'Red Nancy'

Flowers	Cerise red-purple
Stems	Red brown
Habit	Spreading
Leaves	White with green to dark green margin
Other	Flowers the most red of any in the trial but similar in habit and other characteristics to 'White Nancy'

'White Nancy'

Flowers	Pure white in compact flower head
Stems	Green
Habit	Low growing, compact and not sprawling
Leaves	Silver with blue-green edge; leaves slightly curled under
Origin	Found as a chance seedling in late 1970s by Phillip S Levesley. Named for a monument which is painted white on a hill at Kerridge near Macclesfield (for Queen Victoria's 1887 Jubilee) which could be seen from his window in Poynton Cheshire. Introduced by Beth Chatto

'Wild White'

Flowers	White with pale pink tinge especially in bud, elongated inflorescence with many bracts
Stems	Green with faint bronze flush
Habit	Vigorous, tall but spreading
Leaves	Green with yellowish tinge in summer, striped silver in winter
Origin	Collected Croatia 1990 AL&JS 90226JU

'Wootton Pink'

Flowers	Pale pink
Stems	Green
Habit	Compact not very vigorous
Leaves	White with yellow green margins; flat
Other	Slightly paler pink, larger flowers and slightly more compact than other pink flowered cultivars
Origin	Introduced by Bridgemere Nursery, Cheshire

Key and descriptions prepared by:

Diana M Miller, Keeper of RHS Herbarium with assistance of Linda Jones, RHS Trials Officer

14 October 1998

Key to Lamium maculatum

Key to Lamium maculatum in RHS Trial 1998

Lamium Descriptions

Key and descriptions prepared by:

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