In riparian soils and near shady trees,
grows a low-lying plant with blotchy white leaves.
It escapes from gardens and plant baskets too,
spreading by seed, stolon, and root.
I Spy in the Sea to Sky…
This plant is native to Europe and was introduced to North America as an ornamental plant. It is still commonly sold as a component of hanging baskets, and is often found escaping gardens and invading nearby forested areas. Can you guess what it is?
It’s yellow lamium (Lamium galeobdolon)! It flowers from April to June and produces seeds later in the summer. It is typically an evergreen plant except in colder climates where it may lose some of its foliage. While this species can survive in a range of conditions, it thrives in full-shade forests and with moist soils. It is often found in ravines, forested parks, woodland margins, and other natural spaces. Yellow lamium is abundant in certain portions of the Sea to Sky region but has not yet infested all potential habitats. The goal is to contain the spread of yellow lamium.
Yellow lamium can be easily identified by several distinctive features:
- Small, yellow flowers that appear in early summer.
- A hairy four-sided stem (it feels square if you roll it between your fingers).
- A shallow root system with stolons that grow horizontally.
- Green and silver oval-shaped leaves with tapered edges.
How come there is so much yellow lamium in the Sea to Sky? How did it get here?
Yellow lamium sold at a garden shop
Yellow lamium is commonly sold as a garden ornamental, and is still sometimes found for sale in the Sea to Sky. As yellow lamium is a prolific spreader, once planted, it often escapes the confines of a garden and will crawl underneath fences and invade nearby areas. Several patches of yellow lamium found in the Whistler area were likely a result of garden escapees, or they may have even been dumped as garden waste into natural areas (Please, don’t dump or compost your invasive garden waste – always dispose of it into the garbage!).
If you see yellow lamium for sale in a shop near you, please consider bringing up your concerns with the plant retailer!
If you’re wondering why it isn’t illegal to sell invasive plants such as yellow lamium, check out the FAQ’s in our Gardeners page.
Why is yellow lamium such a concern in the Sea to Sky?
Yellow lamium poses a concern due to its aggressive spread. It propagates vegetatively and by seed, allowing it to proliferate rapidly. When a root or stem fragment touches the soil, it can sprout into an entirely new plant.
This species outcompetes native species and reduces food availability for livestock and local wildlife, including pollinator species that rely on a diverse plant community. By displacing native species, yellow lamium also alters the structure of plant communities, especially in woodland understories and riparian ecosystems.
Please report any sightings of yellow lamium in the Sea to Sky.
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