Wooly Betony Stachys byzantina

Lamb's ear is a popular silver-leaved herbaceous perennial ground cover in the Lamiaceae or mint family. The plant grows into a dense clump of thick, soft, velvety, silver-green leaves that form a low-spreading groundcover. They are evergreen in warmer climates. In summer, tiny, purplish-pink flowers appear that are best removed to enhance the foliage and to help maintains its compact habit. 

Lamb's ear is a native to the rocky hills of Turkey, Armenia, and Iran. 

The genus name, Stachys, is Greek and comes from a word meaning "ear of corn." The epithet, byzantine, means "of classical Byzantine."

Lamb's ear grows well in average, dry to medium, very well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. Avoid overwatering as wet leaves invite disease, as do high humidity summers. The plant likes some afternoon shade, particularly in the hot summer. It spreads by stems rooting at the nodes and can be aggressive in good conditions. Division of the plant may be required about every 2 to 4 years. The plant is deer resistant and moderately drought tolerant once established.

The leaves are densely white-woolly and oblong to elliptical. They emit a scent when crushed. The flowers are small tubular, 2-lipped, and appear in white woolly upright spikes.

The soft, fuzzy leaves make an excellent addition to a children's or sensory garden.  Plant it along a border front or walkway, or it may also be grown in containers. Consider planting Lamb's ear on a hill or slope in hot humid areas to prevent root rot.

Seasons of Interest:

Bloom:  Summer           Foliage:  Spring, Summer, and Fall

Quick ID Hints:

• groundcover with silvery-green leaves
• the leaves are thick, soft, velvety, oblong-elliptical, woolly, and may be unpleasantly aromatic
• the basal leaves are in rosettes
• leaf size varies depending on the cultivar
• the flowers are purplish-pink, erect, spikes or racemes that bloom in the summer
• if pollinated, an oblong, brown nutlet is produced

Insects, Disease, and Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to leaf rot with high humidity or excessive rain.

VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.