Lamium purpureum, commonly known as the red dead-nettle, among other names, is an annual herbaceous
flowering plant. Native to Eurasia, it can also be found in North America, and frequently occurs in meadows, forest edges, roadsides and gardens. It grows with square stems to 5 to 20 centimetres (2 to 8 inches) in height, and occasionally up to 40 centimetres (16 inches). The leaves have
fine hairs, are green at the bottom and shade to purplish at the top, while the
zygomorphic flowers are bright reddish purple. The pollen is crimson red in colour and thus very noticeable on the heads of the bees that visit its flowers. The plant contains various oils and is characterized by its high contents of
germacrene D. Young plants have edible tops and leaves, which are used in salads or stir fries as a spring vegetable. The plant has also been used for many years in
folk medicine and herbal remedies. This
L. purpureum inflorescence was photographed in
Tutermaa, Estonia. The picture was
focus-stacked from 101 separate images.
Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus
Lourie Pieterse
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