Lamium maculatum (spotted dead-nettle)

Japanese name: ラミウム マクラツム
Scientific name: Lamium maculatum

[Overview]
A perennial 20–80 cm tall.
It spreads by sending out creeping stems underground.
The stem branches at the base and is square in cross section.
The leaves are simple and opposite, triangular-ovate to heart-shaped, 2–8 cm long, and often marked with silvery white blotches.
The leaf surface is crinkled, sunken along the veins.
The leaf margins have blunt teeth.
The leaves have long petioles.
The flowers form verticillasters in the upper leaf axils and are usually reddish purple, though some are pink or white.
The corolla is a lipped flower about 2 cm long, with the upper lip hood-shaped.
The fruit is a schizocarp.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division or stem cuttings.
It prefers partial shade to shade and fertile, well-drained, moderately moist soil; a site away from the afternoon sun and strong direct summer sunlight is suitable.
It is good planted under deciduous trees.
If the environment suits it, it grows well even when left alone.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
It dislikes heat and humidity, so take care that the soil does not become too wet in summer.
Little fertilizer is needed, but potted plants may be given liquid fertilizer in spring and autumn.
When the flowers finish, remove the spent flowers promptly.
Pests and diseases include leaf spot and slugs.

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