Yellow Archangel in New England
The yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon) is native to Europe and western Asia but it is widely introduced in Europe, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, including New England. Lamium galeobdolon consists of four closely-related subspecies:
- Lamium galeobdolon subsp. argentatum
- Lamium galeobdolon subsp. flavidum
- Lamium galeobdolon subsp. galeobdolon
- Lamium galeobdolon subsp. montanum
Subspecies argentatum, the variegated yellow archangel, is highly invasive. In the states of Washington and Oregon, it is listed as a Class B Noxious Weed and therefore banned from sale by state law. Subspecies argentatum is present in New England. Other subspecies may also be naturalized in New England.
According to Flora Novae Angliae (2011), Lamium galeobdolon is confined to Maine and Massachusetts in New England. However, as of March 2024, there are hundreds of research-grade iNaturalist observations of Lamium galeobdolon subsp. argentatum spread across all New England states. According to New Flora of Vermont (2015), Lamium galeobdolon is said to be rare in Vermont (apparently based on a single specimen collected in Chittenden County in 2008), but as of March 2024, there are dozens of research-grade iNaturalist observations of Lamium galeobdolon subsp. argentatum scattered across ten counties in Vermont. These data suggest Lamium galeobdolon subsp. argentatum is now widespread (and increasing) throughout Vermont and all of New England. For links to observation pages and summaries of observations counts, see the following document:
- Lamium galeobdolon in New England (googledoc)
For more information, including numerous reliable sources, see the article on Lamium galeobdolon in wikipedia.
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Yes, so true! Thank you for this summary.
Thanks Tom!
@arthurvgilman FYI
I have collected it in a couple of additional localities as localized patches. I have not seen evidence of seed production or spread, though, and I suspect increase is mostly vegetative. It is an interesting plant in an interesting family. Note, the Flora of North America treatment of Lamiaceae has not been published as yet. We have many introduced mints and although their floral morphology might suggest specialized pollinators, pollination doesn't seem to be limiting to any of the introductions as far as i am aware. It would interesting to record any bees etc. observed on this plant.
Art
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