Lamium bifidum Cirillo

Taxonomic Identity

Lamium bifidum Cirillo is an annual herbaceous plant.

Morphological Characteristics

It has an erect or decumbent stem, produces white flowers, and has a deeply bifid lower lip.

Inflorescence and Flower Traits

Its flowers grow in verticillasters that hold 20 or more individual flowers, and these flowers are sometimes cleistogamous.

Bract and Leaf Essential Oil Composition

Analysis of the essential oil from Lamium bifidum bracts and leaves found the most abundant constituents to be germacrene D at 34.9%, β-caryophyllene at 11.5%, and α-Humulene at 6.8%.

Flower Essential Oil Composition

This profile differs from the primary constituents found in the species' flowers, which are myrcene at 47.2%, β-caryophyllene at 11.8%, and sabinene at 11.0%.

Chromosome Count

This species has a chromosome count of 2n = 18.

Distribution Range

Lamium bifidum has a broadly Mediterranean distribution.

Subspecies Occurrence

One or more subspecies have been recorded in parts of Bulgaria, Corsica, Crete, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Sardinia, Spain, Tunisia, and the former Yugoslavia.

Habitat Preferences

It grows in open spaces and clearings, waste places, mountain slopes, and forest edges.

Bioactive Compound Properties

One chemical constituent of Lamium bifidum, hesperetin, has been found to have anti-estrogen activity, and properties that inhibit tumorigenesis and breast cancer cells.