Botany picture #30: Prunella laciniata

The greatest possible contrast to the first Prunella provides its congener P. laciniata. This picture was taken in 2008, in the Botanic Garden of Halle University, Germany, if memory serves. The species is quite rare in Germany and restricted to specific dry grassland habitats but more abundant in the Mediterranean area. It is the most distinctive species in the genus due to its usually white (rarely pink) flowers and dissected leaves.