Dig into Plants: Lamb's Ear

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Lamb’s Ear

Other Common Names: Wooly Hedgenettle

Scientific Name: Stachys byzantina

Native to Alabama: No, non-native

Wikimedia – Magnus Manske

Learn More About...

Basic Plant Information

Wikimedia – Plenuska

I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous.
I keep leaves year-round, so I am evergreen.
I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
I can grow 0.75 – 1.5 feet high and 1 – 1.5 feet wide.

Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:

Butterflies

Other Pollinators

Maintenance Notes

Dormant in winter.
Pick off damaged leaves as needed if mid-summer foliage decline occurs.
When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
Requires average amount of water.

Average watering: water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

Full Sun
(6+ hours of sun per day)

Part Sun/ Shade
(2-6 hours of sun per day)

Average Watering

Well-drained Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

Wikimedia – Frank Vincentz

LEAF DESCRIPTION

3-6 inches in length and width, thick, soft, hairy/velvety, gray-green leaves which typically form a rapidly spreading mat approximately 4-6 inches off the ground, flattened at the apex (tip), and underside may be purple

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)


Shape: Lanceolate	Margin: Crenate

Arrangement: Opposite	Form: Simple

Wikimedia – Stan Shebs

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Less than 1 inch, growing upright from the center of the leaves, sessile (without a stalk), tiny, purplish-pink flowers rising above the foliage to 10-15 inches

Flower Shape Chart (JPG)


Color: Pink, purple, lavender	Shape: Labiate	Bloom Months: May – Jul

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Seeds and Rhizomes/ Tubers/ Roots & Shoots
Self-seeder; also spreads by creeping stems that root as they go along the ground; can be mildly aggressive in rich soils


Type: Fruit – Nut	Description: Brown/copper-colored dry fruit that does not split open when ripe	Months in Seed: Fall

Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle:

All plants start life as a seed.
The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots.
The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground.
After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.

General Plant Life Cycle – Dreamstime

Plant Life Cycle Continues:

After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed.
When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again.
Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

Wikimedia – Quartl

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

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