Lungwort is a flowering perennial suited to cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8.
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And despite having a name that is anything but picturesque, the silvery-white speckled leaves and pink and blue blossom clusters are a charming addition to shady areas of the landscape.
Join us as we talk about how to grow and care for lungwort, and explore multiple species and cultivated varieties that may meet your landscaping needs.
Here’s a preview of the topics we’ll address:
Let’s start with a little background.
Cultivation and HistoryLungwort is native to Europe and Asia.
The earliest recorded knowledge of the species dates to the 1600s when the “Doctrine of Signatures” assigned medicinal value to plants resembling human body parts. In this case, the speckled foliage looks like diseased lungs.
The leaves and roots were administered to patients with respiratory ailments, hence the Latin nomenclature Pulmonaria and the common name lungwort.
Pulmonaria came to America from Europe over 200 years ago. Also known as Bethlehem sage, Jerusalem cowslip, and soldiers and sailors, there are approximately 15 species in the genus, with about a third of them cultivated by gardeners.
In addition to straight species, there are many cultivated varieties with enhanced traits, such as mildew resistance and color variation.
Lungwort has an upright, clumping growth habit with a basal mound of hairy or hairless elliptical to lance-shaped leaves. They may be green, flecked with silvery-white, or mostly silvery-white.
The silvery markings are air pockets in the leaves that alter the
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