Lamium purpureum
| Lamium purpureum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Spring-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Lamium purpureum (common name: red dead nettle)
Propagation: 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: 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[1]. 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[2].
A good bee plant[3][4]. Grows well with potatoes[5].
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[1].
Edibility: Young leaves - raw or cooked as a potherb[6][3][7][8][9][10][11]. 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.
Medicinal: The whole plant is astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, purgative and styptic[3][12]. 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[3].
Pollinators: Bees, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ Hylton, Josie and William Holtom. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press, 1979.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ Ceres. Free for All. Thorsons Publishers, 1977.
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.