. Like most of the others here, I actually don’t mind it at all. This plant has many common names. Really good clear information, thank you! Newspapers may be hard to come by though. I’m putting a link on my blog to send people here to learn. Much appreciated! Ground ivy is a member of the Lamiaceae (Mint) family. The Ground Ivy now covers about 80% of my yard, and I’ve decided to just go with it. The most significant difference is that Henbit leaves are in whorls around the stem. That does in fact look pretty close to the plant that I've always called creek nettle, really close actually but a few minor differences but that could just be genetic variation. Dock leaves don’t just relieve stings – they’re also a food plant for the small copper butterfly. I’ve seen it growing in dry and sunny locations as well as shadier and moister spots. The stinging nettle is a plant found practically all over the world. And the odor when you mow it is very pleasant… to me anyway. Now I see it is dead-nettles, both of which are edible. I’ll keep after it now, and may transplant some of it to an area where it can be just a ground cover. If you touch a plant that looks like nettle and gives you a noticeable sting, it is probably stinging nettle. I have some of the nettle popping up too, but I just hate it. Thank you..thank you..thank you! Originally native to Europe, much of temperate Asia and western North Afr They are more like living mulch, suppressing the grasses which ARE an issue. I might just leave them be and let my yard be taken over by them. : ), Pingback: Henbit, Violet, Deadnettle and other small purple flowers… | Arts & Wildcraft blog, Pingback: 9+ Things to Make with Purple Dead Nettle. var notice = document.getElementById("cptch_time_limit_notice_56"); nutrition, medicinal values, recipes, history, harvesting tips, etc.) . I didn’t realize that it was a member of the mint family, but that does make sense. It grows in wetlands or open, moist woods like the one in my neighbourhood. Wonderful web site–just what I needed! If I try the Borax mix, will it kill the grass in the lawn? https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Glechoma+hederacea, A Druid’s web log – Spring is coming! . I have an abundance of what looks like Stinging Nettle in my yard. Yes, you can use 20 Mule Team Borax. If your plant doesn't have squarish or blocky stems, it's probably not lemon balm, either. Sometimes I think I’ll just let it take over my shady backyard – it smells good when it’s mowed. - Ellen Evert Hopman, Henbit, Violet, Deadnettle and other small purple flowers… | Arts & Wildcraft blog, 9+ Things to Make with Purple Dead Nettle. Some other popular ones are Gill-over-the-ground and Creeping Charlie. (Plus he hates yard work!) I confuse easily. So how are Henbit’s leaves different from either Ground ivy or Purple dead nettle leaves? I have been harvesting what I thought was henbit. Freeze dried for cake decor? eattheweeds.com. It looks very similar, I have the dwarf Kenilworth ivy growing all over my yard, shallow rooted, easy to pull, but impossible to be permanently rid of grows like crazy takes over in amatter of a couple weeks. There are between 30 and 45 species of flowering plants of the genus Urtica in the family Urticaceae. In-depth wild edible PDFs. The dead nettles do not sting, both white dead nettles and red dead nettles are quite common flowers. I have recently started to study wild herbs and edibles…and your comparisons have helped tremendously! Suggested site for details: eattheweeds.com. The leaf shape is round and is sometimes classified as nearly kidney-shaped. Purple dead nettle is also in the Lamiaceae (Mint) family. Both plants’ leaves have stems. . In my yard the purple dead nettle is EVERYWHERE and the other two are only in a few small patches.. is there anyway I can make the ground ivy spread? They thrive in rich soil, moist woodlands, thickets, disturbed areas, along partially shaded trails and riversides. I would like to see them compared to another, similar plant that I think is a speedwell but it’s flowers are blue and white. It creeps up under the sides and is usually fairly established by the time it appears on top of the ground. For our third “looks similar” plant, we turn to another member of the Lamiaceae family. Staminate flower is greyish yellow: four tepals (like sepals). This was supposed to be a reply to Jaqueline Donnelly. This makes sense as they are both in the same genus (Lamium). Inflorescence is catkin-like, 4–8 cm (1.6–3.2") long. Sometimes called red nettle, purple nettle, and even purple archangel, it is thought that this is called dead nettle because its leaves resemble stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), though they do not have the stinging characteristic of Urtica.  =  Wonderful site! This is the first website that compares them and shows the differences with such clear photos. Wonderful site — so helpful! They all are edible – in moderation. Leek and Nettle Soup, Wild Mustard Pesto, Nettle Pesto, Stinging Nettle Beer, Stinging Nettle Donuts, Stinging Nettle Hummus, Stinging Nettle Soup, Wild Roasted Cabbage, Wild Scalloped Potatoes. Really nice pictures! Here are some ideas for making use of the free food and fertiliser that this under-appreciated weed has to offer. A stinging nettle sting can feel like a bee sting: sharp, sudden, and very painful. Pistillate flower has four tepals in different-sized pairs, are greyish green and hairy. Herbalists may have brought them here for that reason. I am adding that to my list of potential blog posts! However, the lip structure is different. Also, stinging nettles, although if handled properly, have medicinal value. In the spring, stinging nettle leaves are bright green and tender. I am in the process of identifying all the “weeds” in my yard so that I can cultivate the useful/pretty natives and get rid of the grass and non-native invasives. I saw a material at the hardware store that should work the same way. John. }, The lower leaves have red stems. It does take a persistent effort to eliminate a plant this way. Here in central Kentucky, I must have all three growing together. (Notice the upper leaves’ deeper shade of purple — or red.). The leaves and stems of the plant are covered with brittle, hollow, hair-like structures. This confuses me somewhat, because I don’t think it really looks like true nettles at all, but to each their own. It is a perennial herbaceous plant, native to the southeastern United States that has spread widely throughout much of temperate North America. I always thought they were the nettles that Eeyore ate in Winnie the Pooh. Try pigs. My current batch gets some morning and midday sun, but afternoon shade and a fair bit of moisture. My lawn has a lot of ground ivy which grows into the flower beds. Looking at just one at a time a person might think they are the same. Like any good “weed,” Ground ivy is pretty hardy. Sharp, stinging, tiny hairs encompass this entire plant. I was hoping though, for information about uses for each individual plant. Pingback: A Druid’s Web Log – Beltaine (May Day) 2016 | Ellen Evert Hopman. Tutsan berries, Hypericum androsaemum, also known as Sweet … The latter name will give you the best results of what stinging (or common) nettle looks like in order to better help you identify the species out in the field. Burning Nettle Plants Burning nettle (Urtica urens) grows in various areas across the Eastern, Central and Western United States. To find out that it’s called “Gill-over-the-ground” just tickled me because my maiden name is Gill! Nettle Vine has four states, but only one of these could make it grow. Thank you!!! It’s easy to dig up, so I do. The flowers grow in whorls from the plant’s stem.” I always thought and have observed that it’s two flowers for each leaf pair and that is not a whorl. Identification, health, Before anyone goes out and starts gorging on these or any wild plant, PLEASE educate yourself about them. Stinging nettle has a long and diverse history of use for food, medicine, cordage, and dye. A Persistent and Useful Weed Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) originated in Europe but now grows on every continent … This is great, thank you! One of Henbit’s striking features is the stem color — a nice deep red throughout the length of the stem. . Also noticeable are the hairs on the leaves. One of six stinging trees native to Australia (because of course) and also found in Indonesia, the gympie gympie is one of the most dangerous plants in the world. Please reload CAPTCHA. There is a nice web site which has in depth info about various edible weeds, including how to use them. | Sustainable Market Farming, http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-26-ground%20ivy.aspx?activeingredientid=26&activeingredientname=ground%20ivy, A Druid's Web Log - Beltaine (May Day) 2016 - Ellen Evert Hopman, A Druid's web log - Spring is coming! I have a love/hate relationship with ground ivy. The flowers occur in the axils of leaf-like bracts. Plant taxonomy: Stinging nettle is a member of the genus, Urtica, a broadleaf, perennial plant. Henbit’s flower has a long tube portion which is clearly visible when the flower is fully open. These are growing next to one another in my yard. For those looking for plant ID and uses for Creeping Charlie/Gill-Over-the-Ground, Henbit,etc; this site is a massive source: https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Glechoma+hederacea, Thanks for the wonderful photos and a great article Angelyn (and to your readers for all of these fabulous comments! I was recently traveling through Virginia on Rt 81 and noticed the purple flowers in the fields and with the information that you have provided I believe I may know what I was observing at 65-70MPH. Stinging nettles have tiny, fuzzy-like white flowers. There are lengths of stalk visible between the sets of leaves. Nettles make an excellent spinach substitute and can also be added to soups and stews. This is Purple dead nettle (Lamium purpureum). I’ll monitor its movement, though. Starting with Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) . There was a reason i signed up for the weekly newsletter, haha. Stinging nettle is a large, rhizomatous perennial wild edible plant that can grow quite tall. . I also have some Purple dead nettle and Henbit that shows up in the field next to my house, although I didn’t know what to call them before now. I’m thinking of things such as chola cactus out west (jumping cactus) which can really hurt. It’s just the nature of the beast. So true. The manchaneel tree in the Florida swamps secretes a burning acid and I have never heard of there is a beneficial use for it. Thanks! Remember: Nettle is like spinach in more ways than one. notice.style.display = "block"; (function( timeout ) { I'm trying to identify it. dioica Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Rosids Order: Rosales Family: Urticaceae Genus: Urtica Species: U. dioica Binomial name Urtica dioica L. Urtica dioica, often known as common nettle, stinging nettle or nettle leaf, or just a nettle or stinger, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae. The leaf edges are “scalloped” or “bluntly toothed.”  The veins are noticeable and mostly palmate. Clearweed’s leaves are smooth and somewhat glossy while both stinging nettle and wood nettle have “rougher” looking leaves. I guess that’s why I try to eat natural plants. Generally 1 metre but can grow up to 2 metres depending on location and soil condition. Thanks for the article! Like all edible wild plants, be careful to make sure to clearly identify the plant and test a little at first before consuming in quantity Note: Healing Wise (Wise Woman Herbal Series) Healing Wise has a very nice assortment of nettle recipes for food and for hair and skin tonics. And just as much, I am loving the enjoyable comments and so many sweet reminiscences of these plants! I also note that its root system is pretty shallow, and so I don’t mind it taking over from the bishop weed currently in my back yard. A positive point of view is that they make an excellent ground cover for bare ground! Both of these plants can usually be found in the same areas as stinging nettles. My goal is to have the Ground Ivy completely take over and drive out the useless grass. I’m studying for a plant ID test and you just made my life a LOT easier!! - Ellen Evert Hopman. Flowers: Stinging nettle is a dioecious (staminate and pistillate flowers on different plants) plant with very small flowers. Wood Nettle and White Snakeroot have flowers at the top of the plant, Stinging Nettle and Clearweed have flowers along the sides. This plant has fine toothed, tapered, somewhat heart-shaped leaves that are 3-15 cm. As a child my siblings and I played with henbit and purple dead nettle. Like yellow archangel, and other members of the dead-nettle family, it doesn't have stinging leaves. the leaves do not have hairs at all. Which plants can you pick out and identify from these last two images? . Purple dead nettle is in the mint family, and is called “dead nettle” (or sometimes “deadnettle”) because of its apparent resemblance to stinging nettle, minus the sting. Don’t forget to vote on March 1! Urtica dioica Urtica dioica subsp. It has also been found in parts of Europe, Asia, and Australia. You’re my hero. Thanks for the info. Nettles generally appear in the same locations every year. Common stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a perennial plant found in temperate regions throughout the world. However, there is one obvious difference between the two flowers. At maturity, the top leaves of deadnettle turn purple or purply green, and at this stage they have no poisonous look a like plants at all. Thanks for the great information and photos. Here’s another image of the Ground ivy flower. Like spinach, it reduces like crazy when cooked. Neighbor unfortunately still provides lots more of both Ground Ivy as well as Dandelions- he thingk they’re pretty! not only are they covered with hair, they also change color — to lavender — or even a purple shade. Time limit is exhausted. four For comprehensive information (e.g. Staminate flower is greyish yellow: four tepals (like sepals). Let’s look at the Ground ivy flower. It is up to the reader to verify nutritional information and health benefits with qualified professionals for all edible plants listed in this web site. It has disturbed me ever since I was just three years old, that people consider plantain, dandelion and lamb’s quarters to be weeds. the ground ivy in our 2.5 acre lawn has completely taken over. The next photo provides a close look at the Purple dead nettle flowers. I’m still working out the difference between henbit and mazus, I have both. Your email address will not be published. Similar to the Ground ivy flowers, these bilateral flowers have lips. It has the look of stinging nettle, with leaves growing opposite each other on the stalk, the fine prickly hairs on the leaves and the stalk, and the rigid leave edges. Pingback: Heritage Harvest Festival soon! Thank you for that. Once the plants are flowering, there are no poisonous, similar looking plants in that small size. I’m not sure about the others. I really appreciate the update with the photos. good or bad? Pingback: A Druid's Web Log - Beltaine (May Day) 2016 - Ellen Evert Hopman, Pingback: A Druid's web log - Spring is coming! How can Purple dead nettle be distinguished from Ground ivy? The flowers have four stamens and yellow anthers. There may be quite a few plants that we think of as harmful though. Do you have any other advice for weed ID resources? Now I’m going to try this with the henbit. Ground ivy is also the one that smells most like mint (at least the varieties in the Virginia area), though i have heard that it is at least a little bit poisonous to some animals/insects. I personally do not consider exible & medicinal plants to be weeds. This is Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule). First, let’s look more closely at the leaves. I’m sure there are chemical means of doing this although I personally don’t use chemicals. Leaves, stems and roots are edible. Do not confuse these plants with dead nettle (Lamium maculatum), a harmless perennial plant used in shade gardens. Don’t be disappointed if you start out with an abundance of fresh leaves and end up with a measly pile of cooked greens. I haven’t eaten henbit or heard of purple deadnettle before either. All information, photographs and web content contained in this website is Copyright © EdibleWildFood.com 2020. I really don’t like the chickweed. I have ground ivy taking over my yard and recall reading that it was nearly impossible to get rid of. It is beautiful but gets all in my herb raised beds – yes, raised beds! Nettle beer is brewed from the young shoots. . Thank you for sharing such useful information! You may want to scroll up and down this post to compare the two flowers more carefully. Right after I sent the comment the thought “variation” popped into my head. Your email address will not be published. The stalked leaves grow opposite each other along the stem. (In this photo, the white areas on the petals are actually water drops.). All three plants are in the Nettle Family. I new instinctively that these were beneficial. It can be harvested without the need of a tool, and will provide one Nettle. Instead, I hand-pull the plants and try to get the roots as much as possible (usually after a soaking rain). They root all sorts of things out. Do you know anything about the ideal habitat? please check out our Stinging Nettle PDF magazine. We have tried every possible remedy. The stem is also square. I, too, really appreciate the clear pictures and descriptions. Fibrous stems of mature plants can be used to make twine, fishing nets, snares and other items. It was growing fairly high when I got around to mowing it. The leaves are arranged oppositely along the stem. For comprehensive information (e.g. It is nice to finally know what the rest of the world calls them. The only problem is that I have a good mess of crabgrass and I believe, chickweed. I’ve had “creeping charlie” in my yard before, and used it for hanging baskets; which were really pretty, as it grows downward a long way, and blooms. Love this post! We are not health professionals, medical doctors, nor are we nutritionists. Thank you!!! It can also be categorized as a noxious weed. Yet, with the whorls, some are in bloom, some are buds, some have flowered. Now I see that I need to pick it, which is what I did for a couple hours one day. What kind of camera do you use? In the next photo you can see some older yellowing leaves. Some wild plants are poisonous or can have serious adverse health effects. You could argue that White Snakeroot doesn't belong in this discussion because its flowers are clearly different (they actually look like flowers). Make a paste of baking soda and water (sticky consistency) and spread over the affected area. that many are medicinal makes sense to me. The leaf margins are deeply scalloped — far more than Ground ivy’s leaf margins. Thank you for keeping this post alive, very helpful. Gill over the ground comes from the French, gilleur, to ferment, as it was used in fermenting beer in the middle ages…. display: none !important; Thanks! Ground ivy grows here as well. . Its analgesic leaves are useful to molting birds, who roll in it to relieve the pain of their feathers poking though their skin, and the Ground Ivy also helps to prevent infection because of its antiseptic property. Dock plant leaves are big, oval in shape, and have rounded tips and wavy edges. Don’t forget to vote on March 1! meanwhile in the garden . please check out our, Wild food can help treat various medical conditions. This is Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule). Growing in dry and sunny locations as well as shadier and moister spots positive point view... Insects you may want to get rid of it????. I am getting yellowing leaves grows in wetlands or open, moist like. Lamium purpureum ) deeper shade of purple deadnettle before either or open, moist woods the. States that has spread widely throughout much of temperate North America supposed to be weeds above image — where flowers. Plant ID test and you just made my life a lot of Ground ivy now covers about 80 % my... 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Stinging, tiny hairs encompass this entire plant and let my yard, it does n't have squarish blocky. Up our own name, email, and I played with henbit and mazus I. Take a Persistent effort to eliminate a plant and I have both while the plants get looking! Confidently master the skill of correct plant identification green and hairy still in bud stalk., eczema, arthritis, gout, and website in this photo, the leaves at the store! Ve seen it growing in my herb raised beds family tend to blocky. And information search on the Internet for `` stinging nettle leaves visible when the flower beds are all extremely also...