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Lamium purpureum - Purple Dead Nettle/Red Dead Nettle

Purple Dead Nettle/Red Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum) is a weedy annual that grows from 4 to 16 inches tall and has reclining stems. The leaves are opposite and petioled and are from .5 to 1" long. The leaves are heart-shaped with coarse, rounded teeth, and reduced in size upward. The upper leaves are crowded, overlapping, and bent downward. The stem is square. The flowers are a pink-purple, around .5" in length, and 2-lipped. The corolla tube has a ring of hairs inside near the base. 

Purple Dead Nettle are present from March to June. The fruits are tiny 3-angled nutlets that are less than 0.1" long.

This plant was introduced from Eurasia and is viewed as a weed in open lawns, fields, and waste areas throughout the US. They are referred to as Dead Nettle because, unlike other nettles, they do not have stinging hairs on the leaves. It is considered an invasive plant but it is an important food source for bees as it early blooming and produces both nectar and pollen. 

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  • Home
  • Animals
    • Birds >
      • Avian Taxonomy
      • Bird Species Profiles
    • Mammal Species Profiles
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians >
      • Frog and Toad Species Profiles
    • Fish
    • Arthropods >
      • Arthropod Species Profiles
  • Plants
    • Native Plant Societies
    • Eastern Plant Identification Guide
  • Fungi
    • Fungi Species Profiles
  • Protists
  • Nature Products Store
  • Cell Phone Ringtones
  • Madbird Feeder Cam
  • Ramblings of the Madbird Biologist
  • Bird Videos
  • News in Science
  • Nature Inspired Recipes
  • An Introduction to Scientific Classification and Naming
  • Birds in the Classroom
  • Resources
  • About Me