Every year, popping up as reliably as April showers and robins’ return, the question arises without fail: How to tell the difference between henbit and deadnettle, and does it really matter? The ubiquitous little purple flowered plants that emerge each Springtime in gardens, edges of lawns, and wherever else the soil has been disturbed are widely considered “weeds” and eliminated on the spot. For those of us who cultivate pollinator plants, however, we welcome both of these as early heralds of Spring.
Both henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) and purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) belong to the mint family, although neither tastes like mint. They taste more like kale or spinach. Both appear in early Spring. They are in the category of winter annuals, which means that in the Fall they grow as a tiny rosette of leaves, overwinter, then form their flowers in Spring. After their seeds set, in late Spring to early Summer, they die away again for another year. The flowers of both henbit and deadnettle are double-lipped and tubular, on the characteristically square stems of their mint family.
How to tell the difference?
Henbit’s flowers are pink to purple with darker purple spots compared to deadnettle. The flowers are longer and more slender. Henbit’s leaves are round, crinkly, and scalloped with no stems.
Deadnettle’s leaves are purple at the top of the short stems, heart or triangle shaped with rounded teeth on their edges. The purple fades to green as they grow.
Both plants are important early Spring food for pollinators, especially honey bees and bumblebees, giving them a jump-start in March and April, before the bigger nectar and pollen sources appear.
Henbit and deadnettle are useful to humans as well. Both provide Iron, Vitamins A, C, and K, and fiber. Be careful to wait until you can readily identify deadnettle by its flowers before picking it because it can be mistaken for other plants that have similar leaves, some of them poisonous.
Henbit can be eaten raw, cooked, or brewed as tea. It is a digestive aid, especially helpful for easing bloat, also reduces fever.
Deadnettle tea is also a digestive aid, especially as a laxative. It can also provide relief for menstrual cramps and heavy flow. DO NOT USE IF PREGNANT!
Now that you know the difference between these two early Spring “weeds”, pass it on!
(photos of henbit and deadnettle from http://foragedfoodie.blogspot.com)
Green Witchery 