Common signs of cleaver, tips for growing, advice on care, reproduction, problems with cultivation and ways to solve them, interesting facts, species. Lamb (Lamium) belongs to the family of the same name Lamiaceae, or as it is also called Labiatae, and is a type genus in this species of flora representatives. It includes about 40 species, and more than half are found in the regions of the former Soviet Union. The homeland of this delicate plant is also the territories of the countries of Europe, Asia and North Africa, where a temperate climate prevails. Shaded areas with fertile soil and a sufficient level of soil moisture are most suitable for the lamb. You can see it growing in deciduous and coniferous forests, in mountainous areas and on the banks of waterways, on roadsides and near human habitation. A hardy plant can easily endure periods of drought and after them quickly regains its decorative appearance.
However, some of the grape varieties are so widespread throughout the world that they are considered malicious weeds that can quickly consume agricultural land. But many varieties that are wild are actively used by landscape designers in order to decorate personal plots as a ground cover crop.
It got its Latin name thanks to the ancient Roman encyclopedist Pliny, who dared to suggest that this name came from "laimos", a word of Greek origin, which meant "mouth-throat". There was also a version of the use of the word "lamos" - which translates as a large cavity or the name of the queen of Libya - Lamia, who remained in legends as a monster capable of swallowing their own children. Naturally, all these names fully described the structure of the lamb's flower, which completely covered the bee or bumblebee that flew in to feast on sweet nectar. In common people, for its similarity to nettles and not stinging leaves, the cleaver is called “deaf nettle”, “white” or “cuckoo” nettle.
The lamb can grow as an annual or perennial plant, with a herbaceous form of growth. The stem is measured in height 20–30 cm. Shoots of most species either grow uplifted, or spread along the ground and take root in nodes. Since the plant has a strong branching, it grows and turns its thickets into a solid green rug. The leaf plates are located opposite (opposite each other), their color is dark emerald, the edge is jagged, there is often pubescence and a speck of silver tone along the midrib of the leaf, and there is also a marble pattern of the surface. In many species, the leaves are very reminiscent in shape and the presence of hairs on them nettles, but the leaves are not stinging at all in the cleaver. The length of the leaf plate can be up to 7-10 cm.
The flowers have a corolla with two lips, often in the form of a helmet; there is pubescence on the upper lip. It has a convex shape and a long tube. False whorls are collected from the buds (inflorescences are opposite and bear bracts), which grow in the axils of the leaves located at the tops of the stems. The color of the flowers can be white, yellowish, pinkish or purple.
The plant's fruits ripen 2 months after flowering. Fruiting in the form of a dry coenobium is a few carpels that have grown together by the walls (syncarpous fruit), in the cleaver there is a pair of them, which, in a peculiar way, when ripe, splits into two pairs of one-seeded parts (erems). There are three of these erem in the lamb, they differ in nut-like outlines.
It is grown in rock gardens or as a green spot in stone gardens. With the help of it, curtains are created - eye-catching planting. It is also planted in curbs, retaining walls for jewelry or mixborders.
Conditions for growing a lamb in the garden, care
- Illumination. Conditions close to natural conditions are created for the Yasnotka. You can plant the bushes in partial shade or in a flower bed slightly lit by the sun. However, under the bright streams of sunlight, the clearness can burn out strongly.
- Soil for planting. The plant prefers loose, well-drained and fertile soil. But here it is important that the fertility is moderate, since on substrates rich in humus, the lamina quickly begins to grow and shoot long shoots, therefore its appearance becomes wobbly and loses its compactness and decorativeness. However, there is information that on depleted soils, lamb also grows well, maybe only less abundantly. Landings must be renewed at regular intervals of 5-6 years. It is not required to cover the plant for the winter.
- Watering. Although the plant is very responsive to sufficiently moist soil, it does not tolerate stagnant moisture at all. The lamb can withstand a short period of drought. However, the decorative effect of the bush will decrease, but after moistening the plant will quickly recover. Therefore, regular watering of the plantings of "dead nettle" is necessary. If the lamb grows in a sunny place, then the moisture should be more abundant.
- Fertilization for the clear cut. As soon as the variational activity of the plant begins, it is necessary to apply liquid fertilizer solutions. You can use any complex mineral preparation or organic matter (for example, mullein solution). However, try not to get too carried away with feeding. If the substrate becomes too fertilized, the lamb will grow with particular "fury". She can grow her thickets so quickly that garden plantings and flowers that are in her path will suffer. The size of the bush bushes needs to be constantly monitored and adjusted, while unnecessarily overgrown shoots are removed.
- General care. If the plant is not given proper attention, then it itself will soon turn into a weed. Therefore, regular pruning of the stems will be needed after the flowers have bloomed. After this, the soil must be mulched under the bushes with humus or compost.
Reproduction of lumium, planting in flower beds and lawns
You can get a gentle "dull nettle" by sowing seed, cutting or dividing the bush.
Before planting seeds, it is necessary to moisten the soil and then sow seed material on its surface. It only needs to be pressed a little into the soil. Due to the fact that the plant is sufficiently cold-resistant, it will not need greenhouse conditions for germination. It is interesting that many varieties of the lamb have the property of self-seeding, therefore, when weeding, it is necessary to remove excess shoots around the adult specimens of the lamb. If you grow a lard from seeds in indoor conditions, then seedlings will appear only after a month and a half - this is not very justified, although it is possible.
To germinate the seeds of yellow lamb, it is better to sow them in the autumn, but it is better to start planting other varieties as soon as it becomes possible to work on the ground in the garden - in early spring.
Not all varieties of lamb can be propagated by cuttings, most of all this method is suitable for spotted lamb. It is necessary to cut the young stems and immediately plant them in the ground, approximately 15 cm apart. This operation can be carried out throughout the growing season.
The easiest and most effective way to get new plants is to divide the bush bush. In the spring or autumn, it is necessary to pinch off part of the bush and root it in a new place. If the soil is not fertile, then it is recommended to apply fertilizers to it. The plots should be planted at a distance of approximately 30-60 cm, depending on the selected plant variety. Root shoots, which are located on the soil surface, grow rather quickly, forming new young shoots. Such a bush will bloom in the first summer after transplantation.
Problems with growing lumium
If the plant is exposed to moisture for a long time (when water is kept on the leaves for a long time), then fungal diseases can affect it, and it will be necessary to treat it with fungicides.
When the weather is dry for a long time, the whitefly can be affected by pests, including the whitefly, scale insect or spider mite. In this case, white or brown-brown dots (insect eggs) are visible on the leaves and stems on the back side, a sweetish sticky bloom, white small midges that rise above the bush when it touches the foliage or leaf plates and stems are wrapped in a translucent cobweb may appear. In this case, you will need to carry out the treatment with soap, oil or alcohol. If the non-chemical method does not work, then spraying with insecticidal preparations is necessary.
Interesting facts about the lamb
The variety of white lamb is a medicinal plant and flowers must be harvested in late spring until September. The leaves and flowers of this herb contain flavonoids, essential oil, saponins and tannins, organic acids (ascorbic, caffeic, coumaric, ferulic and others), choline and lamine (an alkaloid substance).
From the collected petals, tinctures are made, which are successfully used to treat acute respiratory diseases and bronchitis, as well as for skin problems (eczema, diathesis, urticaria or boils and rashes).
Since ancient times, healers have used parts of the plant to stop bleeding or colic, liver and kidney diseases, as well as to relieve gynecological problems. Outwardly, the buds are prescribed as applications for bruises, burns, itchy rashes, wounds or abscesses. Lamb was also insisted and drunk as a remedy for insomnia and nervous diseases.
From young greens of this herb, you can prepare salads in spring using it instead of spinach or add chopped to borscht or puree soup. Young shoots of lamb should be canned, pickled and fermented, and the roots of the plant are used as asparagus.
Description of the types of lamb
Annual species
- Purple lamb (Lamium purpureum) also called Red Nettle. This plant can grow as an annual or for two years. The root is thin, and the stem is only 5–25 cm high, with a branch at the base. The leaf plates are oval or broadly oval in shape, with uniform denticles along the edge. Those that are below the stem have petioles, and the upper ones sit on the shoot. The flowers are helmet-shaped, their color varies from light to dark pink, white buds very rarely bloom. Flowers are arranged in leaf axils in groups in false whorls. Flowering from early to mid-spring to early autumn. Used in folk medicine.
- Hybrid lamb (Lamium x hybrida). It is very similar to the previous species, but its leaves are distinguished by an edge with large teeth.
Perennial species
- White lamb (Lamium alba), its second name is Deaf nettle. It grows in the European part of the Russian territory, in the North Caucasus, in some regions of Siberia and the Far East. It settles on the edges of forests, in humid places, in settlements or meadows. It is also found in Europe, Western Asia and often in North America - there it is an introduced species. The plant is distinguished by upright stems with a height of 15–45 cm, with the help of long creeping rhizomes it can grow over large areas. Stems of dense structure, from the lower part they are bare, and in the upper part they have pubescence with wavy hairs, silky to the touch. The leaf plates are oblong-cordate, with a serrated edge and soft pubescence, attached to short petioles. Small flowers have a helmet-like shape and two lips. Their color is white, they are usually located in several pieces in irregularly shaped brushes placed in the leaf axils at the top and middle of the stem, Their peculiar tiers are formed. Flowering lasts all summer and September. It reproduces by self-seeding. The Friday variety is distinguished by decorative foliage - a yellow speck in the center of the leaf. Reaches 85 cm in height and almost a meter in width.
- Bearded lamb (Lamium barbarum). Sometimes it is considered as a subspecies of the previous variety of lamb. It is a very rare plant and it grows in cedar and deciduous forests, which are located in the Far East, Japan and China or in Korea. This variety is taller than other types of lamb, measured in the range from 60 cm to a meter in height. The stems are devoid of branching and pubescence. The leaf plates are elongated-elongated or elongated-ovate, with a pointed apex, heart-shaped at the base, serrated edge, reaching 8.5 cm in length and 5 cm in width. The flowers are painted in a light pink shade, large size - 1.5 cm in length. Collected in whorls from 4 to 14 units. Flowering much later than other species of the lamb. The beginning falls in June and lasts 2 months. Likes to grow in partial shade.
- Yellow lamb (Lamium galeobdolon), also called zelenchukovaya yasnotka. The main distribution area is the European part of Russia, from the southern side reaching the Middle Volga region. The homeland is nevertheless considered to be Europe, where it is naturally settled from the Scandinavian lands to the Mediterranean, the countries of Asia Minor and the Caucasus. The plant is distinguished by creeping shoots, which take root in nodes or tend to rise. Completely covered with soft hairs. The leaf plate has an ovoid shape and a pointed apex. The edge is serrated or serrate-crenate, the surface is wrinkled, smooth from above, and covered with whitish hairs on the reverse side. Cilia run along the petioles; the color of the leaves can be marbled. In whorls, six buds are collected, which have a pubescent yellowish corolla, with an entire oblong-ovoid upper lip, the lower one consists of 3 lobes with a pointed apex. Flowering occurs in May, but in late summer or September, it may start again. The multi-seeded fruits fully ripen in July and are successfully carried by ants. The growth rate of this variety is very high. Shoots can reach up to meter indicators, covering the soil surface with a green carpet. The leaves of this lamb are winter-green and live up to three years. There are varieties that differ in the silvery sheen of the leaves of Lamium galeobdolon var. argentatum.
- Spotted lamb (Lamium maculatum). It is often found under the name of speckled speckled. Forests of Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus are considered to be their native habitat. The stems of this perennial plant are distinguished by the fact that they are hollow and grow straight or spread over the surface of the earth, and can root in nodes. Shoots reach 30–70 cm in length and branch only in the lower part. All parts of the plant have pubescence in the form of sparse hairs. The leaf blades are attached to the petioles, acquire an elliptical shape, and small denticles run along the edge. There is sometimes a light stripe on the surface. Flowers are measured in length 2-3 cm, their color from almost white or pale pinkish can reach pink-purple. The lower lip has a characteristic pattern of purple-whitish specks. The flowering process begins in late spring and lasts until mid-autumn. This variety is an excellent honey plant.
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