Practical
Plants

Lamium purpureum

Red Dead Nettle

an annual member of the Lamium genus in the family Labiatae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Labiatae
Genus
Lamium
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.3 m
Spread
0.2 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young leaves - raw or cooked as a potherb[4][7][9][12][10][11][3]. The plant is a short-lived annual, but seeds can germinate at almost any time of the year and so the leaves are often available all year round.

Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The whole plant is astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, purgative and styptic[7][8]. A decoction of the plant is particularly useful for checking any kind of haemorrhage, whilst the fresh bruised leaves can be applied to external cuts and wounds[7].

Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Purgative
Product or use
Styptic

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to the Mediterranean and Israel.
Habitat
Roadsides, waste places and as a common weed of cultivated land[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - plants usually self sow freely and should not require human intervention. When required, the seed can be sown in situ as soon as it is ripe.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An easily satisfied plant, it tolerates most soils and conditions. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Dislikes shade. A common garden weed, usually flowering at almost any time of the year and the seed is capable of germinating even in the winter if the weather is mild[2]. In rich soils the plant can grow quite lushly, in poor soils it will only grow a few centimetres tall before flowering and spreading its seed. The plant is easily controlled, however, and never really becomes a pest[K]. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[5]. A good bee plant[7][6]. Grows well with potatoes[1].

References

  1. Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-262-7

    ↩

  2. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

  4. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  5. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

    ↩

  6. Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.

    ↩

  7. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  8. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  9. Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219060-5

    ↩

  10. Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-584-10141-4

    ↩

  11. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩

  12. Ceres. Free for All. Thorsons Publishers 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-7225-0445-4

    ↩

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