A popular garden groundcover frequently found in the wild around Pittsburgh. The forms around here usually have a white blotch in the middle of each leaf, which makes identification easy.
There are many common names for this plant; Purple Dragon is another, and the flowers do look like little dragon heads if you have the kind of imagination that sees dragon heads in little purple flowers.
For Gray’s description of the species, see the Lamium maculatum reference page.
Lemon Balm can be very weedy, but it is so useful that it is hard to resent as a weed. The lemony leaves make a good tisane, and the flowers are great favorites with bees. These plants were growing along a fence in Beechview.
For a description of the species, see the Melissa officinalis reference page.
Beautiful little flowers that nobody ever pays any attention to, because they weave all through our lawns. They have a minty scent when they are mowed over, and then they come back with more flowers in a few days.
For a description of the species, see the Glechoma hederacea reference page.
A European import prized as a groundcover, and now a thoroughly naturalized citizen of our flora. These were blooming in Bird Park, Mount Lebanon.
For a description of the species, see the Ajuga reptans reference page.
Also known as Purple Dead-Nettle, because the hairy roundish leaves reminded someone of nettles that don’t sting. This tiny flower is one of the first to appear in the spring, or even in the middle of winter if it gets a warm spell. It continues to bloom for most of the season, and it adds the very decorative touch of deep purple leaves to set off the lighter pinkish-purple flowers.
For a more thorough description, see the Lamium purpureum reference page.
