yellow archangel

not listed

NNA - Not applicable

not listed

Yellow archangel is a 6″ to 24″ tall perennial forb that rises from a creeping underground stem (rhizome). It spreads by producing creeping above-ground runners (stolons) that root and produce another plant at the nodes. The stolons have large leaves.

The stems are square, and sparsely hairy. They may be erect, lay on the ground with the tip ascending (decumbent), or lay flat on the ground (prostrate).

Stem leaves are opposite, ¾″ to 3½″ long, and 1.2 to 2 times longer than wide. They are on ⅜″ to 1¼″ long leaf stalks. The leaves become smaller and shorter stalked as they ascend the stem. Upper leaves are stalkless. The leaf blades are broadly egg-shaped, straight across to more or less heart-shaped at the base, and taper to a point at the tip with straight or concave sides along the tip. The upper and lower surfaces are sparsely covered with appressed hairs. The upper surface is marked with spots or patches of silver (variegated). The underside is often purplish. The margins are coarsely toothed with rounded or sharp teeth.

The inflorescence is a pair of opposite branched clusters (cymes), at the end of the stem and rising from opposite leaf axils, that form a false whorl (verticillaster). There are usually 4 or 5 verticillasters per plant. Each verticillaster has 2 to 10 flowers.

Each flower is ⅝″ to 1″ long. There are 5 sepals, 5 petals, 4 stamens, and 1 style. The sepals are green, ¼″ to ⅜″ long, and are fused at the base into a calyx tube then separated at the tip into 5 more or less equal lobes. The petals are bright yellow. They are fused at the base into a slender corolla tube then separated at the tip into 2 widely spreading lips. The corolla tube has a ring of hairs inside and is longer than the calyx tube. The upper lip is hood-like, unlobed, and has long, stiff, spreading hairs on the margin. The lower lip has 3 more or less equally sized lobes with brown markings. The stamens do not extend beyond the hooded upper lip. The style is about as long as the corolla and has 2 lobes at the tip.

The fruit is four egg-shaped nutlets.

6″ to 24″

Yellow

Moist. Woodlands. Full to partial shade.

April to June

Sources

2, 4, 7, 22, 24, 29, 30.

Native to Europe and western Asia. Cultivated and escaped cultivation. Naturalized in parts of North America.

Uncommon

Though its an escapee, its quite the looker!

Location: St. Louis County, just south of Canyon Mn off the MacArthur rd

I understand from my research today that is an invasive plant in many areas throughout the US of A. The Yellow Archangel is from Europe and has escaped our garden into our wild environments of Minnesota. I don't recall the exact spot, since I took the photo back in 2006, but the area was just south of Canyon Mn off the MacArthur rd. I know its not a wild flower, but it might good to add for identification purposes, for it took most of my afternoon and help from people at Minnesota Wildflower to identified it.

Though its an escapee, its quite the looker!