The lungwort gets its name from the white spots on its leaves, that people thought looked like diseased lungs. “Wort” means “plant.” So, lung-plant.
It’s also sometimes called “boy and girl plant.” Can you guess why?
Medieval herbalists used the plant to treat lung ailments, thinking that anything that looked like a sick lung should heal a sick lung. It didn’t work, though.
The white spots are actually air pockets in the leaves, that help the foliage to stay cool.
Watercolor on paper, finished digitally.
Lungwort: Pulmonaria saccharata
