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Lamium album [White Dead-nettle]


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Rørslett, B. 2013. Lamium album L. (Lamiaceae). White Dead-Nettle. Flowers photographed in visible and ultraviolet light. http://www.ultravioletphotography.com/content/index.php?/topic/249-lamium-album-white-dead-nettle/

 

Lamium album L.

NO: Dauvnesle; døvnesle

SE: Vitplister

DK: Døvnælde

FI: Valkopeippi

IS: Ljósatvítönn

DE: Weiße Taubnessel

EN: White Dead-nettle

 

This is a medium tall, up to 0.5 m, perennial species native to Europe and Asia. It is widely distributed and fairly common within its geographical range. The main habitats are open grassland, forest edges, road verges, and similar where the vegetation cover does not shade it. The plants often develop into dense colonies due to vegetative propagation. Its vernacular name derives from the fact that the foliage strongly reminds of a stinging nettle (Urtica), but there are no stinging hairs on them.

 

Flowering commences in May and may continue into late autumn. The flowers are in whorls. The zygomorphic, shiny white corolla has an upper hood covered with bristle hairs. The lower lips are hairless, but here and elsewhere on the corolla scattered greenish spots and patches occur. The filaments and style are partially fused and raise in a high column almost up to the ceiling of the hood. A number of pollinators visit these flowers.

 

Plants collected and photographed near Oslo, Norway, 20 May 2011.

 

LAMI_ALB_I1105200145_VIS.jpg

Image reference: LAMI_ALB_I1105200145_VIS

Visible light: Nikon D200, UV-Nikkor 105 mm f/4.5 lens, Baader UV/IR Cut filter, daylight.

 

LAMI_ALB_I11052001250_UV.jpg

Image reference: LAMI_ALB_I11052001250_UV

Ultraviolet light: Nikon D200, UV-Nikkor 105 mm f/4.5 lens, Baader U 2" (Venus) filter, Broncolor studio flash with uncoated Xenon tube, 20 frames stacked in Zerene Stacker.

 

The UV rendition of L. album is a little unexpected, because most white flowers tend to show rather anonymous UV signatures. However, there are exceptions and L. album certainly belongs here. The hood and lower lips are quite dark in UV and shine with the presence of conical cells. Such epidermal structures are found inside the corolla as well and contribute to a variegated and shiny, shimmering velvet-likeappearance. Iridiscence adds to the diversity of the signature too. The remainder of the corolla, plus the central column, are rendered fairly UV bright and the anthers are UV dark.

 

Lamium album is a good example of a flower the UV signature of which could not be deducted based upon a priori known characterstics. One might designate it a 'Black Flower' in the UV domain.

 

[Published 17 May 2013]

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