About Pulmonaria obscura Dumort.
Pulmonaria obscura Dumort. is a perennial herb that reaches a height of 10 to 20 cm, and occasionally grows as tall as 30 cm. Its stem grows upright, and the upper section is covered in stiff bristles, stem glands, and soft hairs. Its leaves have softer hairs; they measure 4–6 cm in length and 1–2 cm in width, and very rarely develop pale green patches along their veins. The basal leaves are heart-shaped and oblong, growing on leaf stalks that are roughly 5 to 10 cm long. The basal leaves themselves are 4 to 12 cm long, and approximately twice as long as they are wide. The flowers are 10 to 15 mm long, starting pink and maturing to red-violet. The corolla tube is hairless below the hair ring. Its seeds are 3.5 to 4 mm long, and range in color from brown to black. This plant grows in deciduous and coniferous mixed forests. It typically prefers poorly drained, nutrient-rich, and mostly calcareous soils. Its natural distribution stretches from central Sweden and southern Finland to Central Europe. In Austria, the species is very rare and endangered. It is common in Northern Switzerland, and quite rare in Britain, with confirmed populations documented in Suffolk.
