Red Dead-nettle, Lamium purpureum
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- LAY-mee-um pur-PUR-ee-um
- Description
-
Purple dead-nettle is a weedy winter annual (sometimes a summer annual) in the mint family (Lamiaceae). It is usually considered a common lawn weed and originates from Europe and Asia. The common name “purple dead-nettle” refers to the resemblance of Lamium leaves to those of the nettle family (Urticaceae), members of which often have stinging hairs. Lamium does not have stinging hairs (and is, hence, “dead”). The species epithet is Latin for “purple,” which describes the flowers and the subtending leaves.
Purple dead-nettle prefers full sun or light shade and moist, fertile soil. It will, however, tolerate sandy or clay soils. This plant develops quickly during the cool weather of spring. It is typically viewed as a common garden weed, flowering at any time of the year, with seed germinating whenever the weather is mild.
It is a low-growing weed, maturing up to 2½ feet tall, but usually shorter, with no branches. The leaves are opposite and decussate, meaning that a pair of leaves emerges from each node, and each pair is rotated 90° from the pair of leaves immediately below or above. Young leaves subtending flowers are often suffused with purple. The blooming period for the bright reddish purple, ½-inch flowers is usually mid- to late spring and lasts about six weeks, although plants that germinate in the summer may bloom during the fall. The upper surface of each leaf has a reticulated network of indented veins, creating a wrinkly appearance.
It can be found in lawns, along roads, gardens and meadows. It is often confused with henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), which can grow with purple dead-nettle. Henbit can be distinguished by its nearly circular, stemless leaves and showier flowers.
This plant occasionally forms dense colonies by reseeding itself. It can become weedy and is often found in moist fallow fields, ditches and drainage canals, gardens and nursery plots, weedy edges of woodlands and various kinds of waste ground. It prefers degraded sites with a history of disturbance. On the plus side, the flowers are visited by bees.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: The foliage is little bothered by disease and insect pests. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on controlling purple dead-nettle in lawns and gardens.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- Tags:


















- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Lamium
- Species:
- purpureum
- Family:
- Lamiaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Macaronesia, Mediterranean, Europe to Western Siberia
- Distribution:
- Introduced to Canada, United States, Greenland, and Japan.
- Wildlife Value:
- Bees are attracted to the flowers and its long-lasting flowers provide nectar during the winter.
- Edibility:
- Young plants have edible tops and leaves, used in salads or in stir-fry.
-
-
Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Ground Cover
- Weed
- Wildflower
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Mounding
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Fine
-
-
Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
-
-
Fruit:
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Description:
- Each flower is replaced by 4 nutlets.
-
-
Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- White
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Long Bloom Season
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Spring
- Summer
- Winter
- Flower Shape:
- Lipped
- Tubular
- Flower Petals:
- 2-3 rays/petals
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Purplish flowers have a top hooded petal with 2 lower lip petals and may be produced throughout the year. Sessile whorls of flowers occur above the leaf axils. A terminal whorl of flowers occurs at the apex of the stem. Tubular with well-defined upper and lower lips.
-
-
Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Leaf Feel:
- Velvety
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Cordate
- Deltoid
- Leaf Margin:
- Crenate
- Serrate
- Undulate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Crowded heart-shaped leaves tend to overlap; upper leaves are often purplish with greenish undersides and hairy. Short petioles. Wavy to serrated margins. The leaves are up to 2 inches long and across. Young leaves at the apex of the stem are tinted purple, but they become dull green with maturity.
-
-
Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Angular
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- The central stem is strongly 4-angled and glabrous. The lower third of the stem in a mature plant is often devoid of leaves.
-
-
Landscape:
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Problems:
- Weedy