Purple Deadnettle

Biological Name:

Lamium purpureum (Purple-Deadnettle)

Natural Habitat:

Purple-Deadnettle: This plant is native to Europe, Asia, and North America and grows in a variety of habitats, including fields, meadows, and along roadsides.

Description:

Purple-Deadnettle is a winter annual weed that is native to Europe and Asia. It has hairy stems and leaves and the leaves are oval-shaped with toothed edges. The flowers are small and pink or purple and they are followed by hairy seed pods.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is purple deadnettle good for?
A: Purple dead nettle also has medicinal benefits. It is known in the herbal world as being astringent, diuretic, diaphoretic and purgative. It’s also anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. The leaves can be used on external wounds or cuts, or as a poultice, similar to how you would use yarrow or plantain.
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Q: Can you eat purple dead nettle raw?
A: Purple dead nettle can also be eaten raw, but to be honest – it’s not as tasty to us as other spring greens such as chickweed or henbit. You can include it in pesto, soups, and quiches, in place of, or combined with, spinach and nettle. If you’re pregnant, don’t take purple dead nettle internally.
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Q: What does purple Deadnettle smell like?
A: It possesses a complex woody piney hay earthy green scent. Deadnettle is a herbaceous flowering plant native to Europe and Asia.
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Q: Should I pull purple deadnettle?
A: A common strategy for purple dead nettle control in lawns is to pull the weeds up by the roots and dispose of them. This option works well if you only have a few of the weeds on your lawn. Be sure to remove all pieces of the plant, as they can regerminate if given the chance.
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Q: How do I get rid of purple dead nettles in my lawn?
A: The more common approach to controlling purple deadnettle in cool-season turf is to use postemergence herbicides after it has already emerged. Most postemergence herbicides including those containing 2,4-D, dicamba, fluroxypyr, and others will control purple deadnettle.
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Q: Does purple dead nettle go away after spring?
A: Identification: Purple deadnettle is a winter annual meaning that it germinates in the fall, survives the winter as a small seedling, until spring when it flowers, develops seeds, and then dies when temperatures rise in late spring and early summer.
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Q: How do I get rid of purple flower weeds in my lawn?
A: Glyphosate (Roundup®) will work but may take 2-3 applications a few weeks apart. Non-selective herbicides will also kill any plant they contact, including grass, so protect surrounding areas with a shield of cardboard or use a brush to apply only to the violets.
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Q: Is purple deadnettle invasive?
A: This is purple deadnettle, which is an invasive plant in the United States. Each year this colorful weed appears to cover larger patches of ground throughout Ohio and is especially noticeable on roadsides and in farm fields. Unfortunately, it also takes over yards and gardens.
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Q: Is deadnettle poisonous?
A: Though there are plants that share these features, none of them are poisonous. Note henbit’s square stems, and the leaves which atatch directly to the stem, with no leaf stem. The leaves also have”tufts”” above them.”
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Q: Do bees like purple deadnettle?
A: Pollinators like these flowering weeds The nectar of purple deadnettle is attractive to bumble bees, honey bees and digger bees, a group of large bees that nest in the ground.
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Q: Do butterflies like deadnettle?
A: This is a bee plant rather than a butterfly plant because of the shape of the flowers: bees can use it, but butterflies cannot. They are easy to grow and pretty – try some.
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Q: What kind of soil does purple dead nettle like?
A: Thrives in nutrient-rich and mildly humic, loamy or sandy-loam soils. Predation/grazing: No information. Decay: No information. Tillage: Purple deadnettle is readily controlled by tillage in the late-fall or early spring.
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Q: What does purple deadnettle taste like?
A: The purple deadnettle is actually in the mint family and that is revealed by its square shaped stem which it shares with peppermint, spearmint, and others. The leaves have a somewhat minty taste but have more of an earthy grassy taste than its mint cousins.
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Q: Why is it called Deadnettle?
A: Spotted deadnettle, Lamium maculatum, is one of about 50 species in the type genus for the mint family (Lamiaceae) native to Europe, temperate western Asia and North Africa. The common name of “deadnettle” refers to the resemblance of the leaves to stinging nettles, but without the sting (therefore “dead”).
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Q: Is henbit Deadnettle poisonous to humans?
A: Henbit deadnettle is a very important part of the North American and Eurasian ecosystems, as it is utilized by bees and other pollinators as a source of nectar. Additionally, the seeds are favored by birds and the leaves, stems, and flowers are edible to humans either raw or cooked.
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Q: How do I get rid of purple Deadnettle?
A: The more common approach to controlling purple deadnettle in cool-season turf is to use postemergence herbicides after it has already emerged. Most postemergence herbicides including those containing 2,4-D, dicamba, fluroxypyr, and others will control purple deadnettle.
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Q: Where does purple dead nettle grow?
A: Purple Dead-nettle is usually considered a weed and originates from Europe and Asia. It is low growing and blooms occur throughout the year including warmer weather in winter. It can be found in lawns, along roads, gardens and meadows. It is often confused with Henbit and they can grow together.
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Q: Why is purple dead nettle called dead nettle?
A: Though superficially similar to species of Urtica (true nettles) in appearance, it is not related and does not sting, hence the name “dead-nettle””.”
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Q: Can you eat purple nettle raw?
A: Purple dead nettle can also be eaten raw, but to be honest – it’s not as tasty to us as other spring greens such as chickweed or henbit. You can include it in pesto, soups, and quiches, in place of, or combined with, spinach and nettle. If you’re pregnant, don’t take purple dead nettle internally.
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