Lamium eriocephalum

Lamium eriocephalum

 Al balıcak

Saxatile perennial with slender tap root to 20 cm and densely white-lanate or -tomentose congested inflorescence. Stems several, 4-21 cm, purplish, ascending to decumbent, sparingly pilose, with sessile glands. Petioles 8-40 mm. Lamina broadly ovate to reniform, 4.5-16 x 4-14 mrn, crenate or doubly crenate, pilose, sparingly glandular. Bracts obtriangular or ovate, digitate, broadening towards apex, 11-25 x 12-25 mm with 9-13 lobes 1.5-8 mm deep. Verticillasters 2, 2-flowered. Calyx white lanate, 12-15 mm, teeth slightly shorter than or subequal to tube, with stalked glands. Corolla 30-32 mm; upper lip mauve-pink, 11-17 mm, lower lip purplish, yellow at base, 3-10 mm; tube yellowish, straight, 15-18 mm, without annulus. Nutlets narrowly ellipsoid, 4.1-4.5 x 1.5-2.1 mm, dark brown.
 1. Floral leaves obtriangular, palmate divisions 4-8 mm deep; calyx 14-15 mm, teeth slightly shorter than tube .................subsp. eriocephalum
1. Floral leaves ovate, palmate divisions 1.5-3.5 mm deep; calyx 12-13 mm, tube and teeth subequal .............................subsp. glandulosidens
This endemic species is distinguished from all other Turkish Lamiums by its congested, tomentose to lanate inflorescence with palmatifid bracts. The differences between L. glandulosidens and L. eriocephalum s. str. do not seem sufficient for the recognition of these taxa at specific rank.