Teucrium x lucidrys

About

Teucrium x lucidrys is a germander (genus Teucrium, family Lamiaceae) that bears white to cream, two-lipped flowers from June to September. It shows the genus's four-angled stems and leaves arranged in opposite pairs. Flowers are carried in thyrses and the corolla has five lobes with a reduced upper lip and a larger central lobe on the lower lip.

About the genus

Teucrium is a cosmopolitan genus of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae, commonly known as germanders. Plants in this genus are perennial herbs or shrubs, with branches that are more or less square in cross-section, leaves arranged in opposite pairs, and flowers arranged in thyrses, the corolla with mostly white to cream-coloured, lobed petals.

Wikipedia contributors, "Teucrium", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Teucrium

In the garden

Teucrium x lucidrys belongs to the germander group within the mint family, where species occur as perennial herbs or shrubs. Morphological cues—four-angled stems, opposite leaves and flowers set in thyrses—help separate it from other summer-flowering perennials. Its flowering season runs from June to September, offering an extended period when the white to cream corollas are in evidence. Handle the plant as you would other Teucrium types: expect a perennial habit with a clearly lobed, two-lipped corolla typical of the genus. The arrangement of flowers in compact thyrses and the distinctive reduced upper lip on the corolla make blooms easy to examine at close range. Because the bloom period is reliably in the summer months, it can bridge gaps between earlier spring-flowering perennials and later autumn interest. For identification and selection, focus on the floral structure and the four-cornered stems rather than leaf colour. When assessing mature material, the combination of white to cream, five-lobed corollas and the larger central lower lobe is a practical field marker for Teucrium x lucidrys.

More in the Teucrium genus

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