Purple Dead Nettle

[Peanut]

Today, beside the glass shop, I saw a plant I rarely see, Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum). It’s a mint family plant and very nutritious, high in iron, vitamins and fiber. I’ve had it in a salad before, tasty.

It’s the little plants with brown looking leaves at the top and tiny blooms sticking out. It’s mildly medicinal also. There are actually 3 different medicines in this pic.

 

[phideaux]

KY has something similar in late Spring that covers many lawns, and is very thick,
Lawn looks purple, and pastures look purple, like thick red clover , but looks like your pic.

Been told , that's where Ky got its nickname , the Bluegrass state , even though its more purple .


Jim

 

[Peanut]

KY has something similar in late Spring that covers many lawns, and is very thick,
Lawn looks purple, and pastures look purple, like thick red clover , but looks like your pic.

Been told , that's where Ky got its nickname , the Bluegrass state , even though its more purple .
Jim

1. When I see it growing it’s always in large patches.

2. @phideaux When you see it check the stem. Is the stem square and not round? All mints have square stems.

3. Post a photo here when you see it, should be in the next 7 to 10 days.

 

[phideaux]

I will,

Yes large patches, not full coverage.
but it's 32 degrees today with high of 42...


Jim

 

[camo2460]

Peanut are two of the Medicinal Plants Lance Leaf Plantain, and Mayapple?

 

[Peanut]

@camo2460 One is plantain, english plantain. Mayapple isn't in this photo. The other medicinal is alum root. Dysentery was a huge problem during the civil war. Alum root was used by both sides for dysentery and wound treatment. Alum root - geranium maculatum.

 

[Patchouli]

Thanks for the ID of the dead nettle. Ive been loving that plant my whole life. Lol
The English plantain, long, slender leaves, behind the nettle?
Alum root the roundish shape, looking like an umbrella (which, as thought upthread, resembles mayapple)?

 

[Meerkat]

I haven't seen any here, not sure I've ever seen any.

 

[Peanut]

Thanks for the ID of the dead nettle. Ive been loving that plant my whole life. Lol
The English plantain, long, slender leaves, behind the nettle?
Alum root the roundish shape, looking like an umbrella (which, as thought upthread, resembles mayapple)?

google "geranium maculatum" and click images, near the top of the screen. You'll see hundreds of photos of alum root.

Same for english plantain or plantago lanceolata.

 

[Patchouli]

Making us work for it, huh, Peanut? Lol
I see I was right.
For years I was studying medicinal herbs, using them, etc.
Add it to my list of what else I should be working on....