Lungwort

Sweet evergreen woodland plant originally from Europe. The spotted leaves are green with whitish splotches and were thought to resemble the lungs, hence the name lungwort. Not to be confused with the lichen which also uses that common name. The leaves are beautiful in the shade garden in spring, and as the rosettes spread laterally, they eventually send up flowering stalks with prolific pinkish purple blooms on stems about a foot tall. A tea of the aerial potion of the plant is an old remedy for respiratory complaints. A useful, beautiful and hardy addition to the shady garden. Prefers Shade. Hardy Perennial to Zones 3-8.