Pulmonaria saccharata | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Boraginales |
Family: | Boraginaceae |
Genus: | Pulmonaria |
Species: | P. saccharata
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Binomial name | |
Pulmonaria saccharata
Mill. (1768)
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Pulmonaria saccharata, the Bethlehem lungwort [1] or Bethlehem sage, is a species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae, native to France and Italy. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial which is closely related to the common lungwort ( Pulmonaria officinalis). Growing to 10 cm (4 in) tall by 60 cm (24 in) wide, it has lance-shaped leaves with white confluent spots, and pink or white flowers in spring. [2]
The specific epithet saccharata means sugared, and refers to the spotted surface of the leaves. [3]
Pulmonaria saccharata is hardy in all of Europe down to −20 °C (−4 °F). It prefers shaded, nutrient-rich, moist, well-drained soil. Numerous cultivars have been developed, of which the following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-