Pulmonaria officinalis

Pulmonaria officinalis, commonly known as Jerusalem-sage, Jerusalem cowslip or blue lungwort, is a bristly, clumping, slowly spreading, rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial of the borage family. It is a rough-hairy perennial that grows to 12” tall spreading to 18” wide. It is native to forested areas in Europe. Petioled, ovate-cordate basal leaves (3-5” long) are spotted or blotched with white. Sessile, broad ovate, auriculate-cordate stem leaves are shorter. Funnel-shaped, five-petaled flowers (3/4”long) bloom in forked clusters in mid-spring atop sparsely-leaved flowering stems rising above the foliage. Flowers open pink but age to rose-violet before finally maturing to blue. Different colored flowers may be seen on the plant at the same time.
Genus name comes from the Latin pulmo meaning lung. In accordance with the Doctrine of Signatures, lungwort was once believed by Medieval herbalists to be an effective remedy for treating lung diseases because the spotted plant leaves purportedly resembled diseased lungs. However, it is well established today that this is not a valid method in determining a plant’s medicinal properties.

Specific epithet means sold in shops. Applied to plants of real or supposed medicinal properties.

Common name of lungwort remains today as a description of the resemblance of the spotted plant leaves to a diseased lung.