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Boraginaceae
Lungwort
Pulmonaria officinalis
Healing breath and dual nature.
- Family
- Boraginaceae
- Genus
- Pulmonaria
- Native to
- Europe
- Bloom season
- Early Spring
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 20–30 cm
- Sunlight
- part shade to full shade
- Soil
- moist, humus-rich, well-drained
- Water
- medium
- Hardiness
- 3–8
- Lifespan
- perennial; long-lived
Did you know
- Individual flowers change color from pink to blue as they age, so both colors appear on the same plant simultaneously.
- The color change is caused by a shift in cell pH — acidic (pink) to alkaline (blue) — as the flower matures.
- The spotted leaves were thought to resemble diseased lungs, so herbalists prescribed it for lung ailments.
- Modern research has found the plant does contain mucilage and allantoin, which can soothe irritated tissue.
- It is one of the earliest nectar sources for queen bumblebees emerging from hibernation.
Color meanings
Pink
youthful hope
Blue
mature wisdom