What is this plant? Spring blooming.

by NancyLee

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This is in my backyard - it is a prolific grower - might I say - almost a noxious weed in my little microclimate?

what is this plant spring blooming, gardening

21 answers

Rhonda B on Apr 19, 2014
It is Pulmonaria-aka Lungwort.

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NancyLee on Apr 19, 2014
Thank you Rhonda - I WILL.NOT get rid of it! It has medicinal qualities and I'll be adding it to my remedy chest!!

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- Carla Baglien on Apr 19, 2014
  @NancyLee please share the medicinal qualities u have found. I am in ND and would need a pretty hardy plant but could watch the location and baby it along. thx.
  
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- NancyLee on Apr 20, 2014
  @Carla Baglien I found several sites - here is a simple, concise description and indications for use: http://allaboutmedicinalplants.com/lungwort-benefits.html Two other easy-to-grow plants for the lungs also come to mind: elecampane and mullein. I'm amazed that each geographical area has native plants that can be used for our health. So many plants can be used interchangeably.
  
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- Judy on Apr 20, 2014
  @NancyLee Was doing some research & found this fairly quickly. Seems there's more than one kind of Pulmonaria/Lungwort that claims medicinal benefits.......http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/lung-cleansing-benefits-of-lungwort/
  
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- NancyLee on Apr 21, 2014
  @Judy Thanks for the link - I saw that in another article but didn't pursue it. So this morning I'm checking it out. The moss is a lichen - "Lobaria pulmonalis" (genus Lobaria), while the spring plant is "Pulmonaria officinales" (genus Pulmonaria - part of the borage family). This really shows the importance of properly identifying plants with their latin names before using them for medicine. Really, they can be used similarly except that the Lobaria has pyrrolizidine alkaloids (substances which can negatively impact the liver) while the spring plant (Pulmonaria) does not. So I don't have to worry that I ate some of the leaves last night! (Which, by the way, did not taste like much but were a little hairy!)
  
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- Judy on Apr 21, 2014
  @NancyLee Thanks for the info. I see it's growing with Vinca, which I have in my back yard& is blooming now. Everything around here has just grown wild since my back troubles (my front yard is a mixture of Blackberry, Snowberry & Bracken) but there are still a few pretty spots out there & the air smells heavenly right now. I say it's the dogwoods blooming & Scott says it's the Madrones. Hope you're enjoying it as much as I am whatever it is!
  
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Sensible Gardening and Living on Apr 19, 2014
Pulmonaria for sure, a lovely plant for the shade garden:)

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Sara C on Apr 19, 2014
very pretty!!!

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B.J. B on Apr 19, 2014
This is one of my favorite plants for shade and it does very well in our tough Michigan winters. Lungwort flowers also come in different blue and lavender shades. When the flowers fade you just cut them out and enjoy the beautiful foliage. Only drawback is that you need gloves when you are tending to it. My Lungworts are just starting to peak out of the ground now.

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Kim 'Kiewatt' Waknitz on Apr 19, 2014
Is this hardy in zone 4? And why gloves, does it have thorns? It's very pretty.

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Laurie M on Apr 19, 2014
I live in zone 5, I've never used gloves, why do you need gloves?

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Janet Smith on Apr 19, 2014
That is really pretty! I wonder if it will grow in the Texas heat? Does it take a lot of water?

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- Douglas Hunt on Apr 20, 2014
  @Janet Smith Check with a good local nursery, but they're a woodland shade plant, so I have my doubts. (Technically hardy as far south as zone 8b.)
  
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- NancyLee on Apr 20, 2014
  @Janet Smith It grows in zones 4-9. The springs are wet here and that is when the plant does the best. It's hot and dry in the summer and it gets somewhat wilted but I don't water it much and it came back full on this spring (only my 2nd spring in this house) (here is a helpful link: http://allaboutmedicinalplants.com/lungwort-benefits.html)
  
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- Judy on Apr 20, 2014
  @Douglas Hunt The zone varies a tad bit from spot to spot in the area but I'm 7b about 10 miles W of town so I'm thinking hardy to at least zone 7.
  
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- Janet Smith on Apr 20, 2014
  Thanks Judy, Nancy and Douglas! I have a shady spot that it might work in. I really is a beautiful little plant.
  
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Cynthia E on Apr 20, 2014
I think its gorgeous, never seen this little beauty before need to find some now.

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Sue Vasiliauskas on Apr 20, 2014
lungwort, also called william and mary or jack and jill becalue=se of the changing colour of the flowers.

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NancyLee on Apr 20, 2014
Thanks to all for your information and comments. I'm so happy to have a new herbal remedy! A serendipitous find!!

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- Judy on Apr 20, 2014
  @NancyLee Are you in a wooded area? We're out by Wilderville in a very shaded area, clayish soil, & I'm always on the look-out for flowering plants that will do well here.
  
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- NancyLee on Apr 20, 2014
  @Judy Actually on outskirts of town - across from a park - several plants are in shade at the side of the house. A couple more are in the back and exposed to quite a bit of sun and the soil isn't great - just regular old dirt! The previous owner did all the plantings.
  
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Nancy a Butcher on Apr 20, 2014
Love this flower ..just beautiful !!!

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Joanne Rago on Apr 20, 2014
I had this growing every year under my abavorites. I never planted them, but they spread a made a nice shade border under the tall green shrubs. Loves shade and rich soil.

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Sue Vasiliauskas on Apr 21, 2014
It does very well in shade, blooms really early inthe spring.

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Liliana Wells on Apr 21, 2014
Very pretty. I always wear gloves as our clay-ish soil dries my hands too much. They crack and I can't chance infections. I really think it's a good rule to have when gardening.

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Andrea on Apr 21, 2014
I have this too. Mine is a darker purple. I have it on the east side of the house and it gets morning sun, afternoon shade. Does just fine. I'm in Connecticut and it usually blooms middle of March for me.

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Julie Johnson on Apr 21, 2014
Lungwort doesn't have thorns, but the leaves have prickly hairs that are irritating. I don't usually wear gloves to garden, but I do wear gloves for these!

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Vicki Wagner on Apr 21, 2014
We call it Trout Lily. Blooms on the first day of trout season every year!

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Raw32705518 on Feb 20, 2018

in Ukraine, about zone 5 climate, this plant grows rampantly in the wild, in moist woodsy areas. It's perhaps native to Eastern Europe??

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NancyLee on Feb 20, 2018

It is Lungwort - Pulmonaria.....native to Europe and Western Asia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulmonaria. Have never see it in the wild here.

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Debbie/Dragonfly Treasure on Feb 22, 2018

Lungwort, a hardy little devil/angel :)

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