Purple dead-nettle is edible, in fact, you can eat the entire plant. Purple dead nettle is popping up all over the place at this time of year, including here at the little Victorian. Both have purple, tubular flower appearing in clusters at the top of the plant. Although it is in the mint family, it doesn’t have a minty taste. Dead-nettle leaves and flowers have a grassy, slightly mushroomy taste, although the flowers’ nectaries add a bit of sweet. The middle and upper leaves of L. amplexicaule (henbit) do not have petioles, and the leaves are typically smaller than those of Purple Deadnettle. It is in flower from March to October. (They both have purple flowers and grow around the same time.) Aside from being cute and sporting a pretty combination of purple and green, it is both medicinal and edible. Red/purple dead nettle Lamium purpureum is a widespread […] It is also easily confused with Purple Deadnettle (L. purpureum), which has petioled leaves all the way to the top leaves. This week's wild edible is Red Dead-Nettle! The plant is self-fertile. Purple dead nettle (Lamium purpureum) is an edible weed that pops up in yards and gardens in early spring.You might often see it growing near henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), which is said to be its closest look-a-like. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. It is hardy to zone (UK) 4 and is not frost tender. It is a cold hardy, shade tolerant annual plant that can be found in the winter in warmer climates. Purple dead nettle is known in the herbal world as being astringent, diuretic, diaphoretic and purgative. Lamium purpureum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in). For eating: It doesn't have a strong flavor, but it is a superfood, packed with fiber, iron, antioxidants and vitamins. My ‘edible weed’ rambling this month covers three plants similar in appearance, although possessing distinct differences which I can clearly see having all three lined up together. Since it is a member of the mint family, it is therefore considered to be a superfood. It’s also anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. It thrives is fertile cultivated soils such as lawns and gardens (lucky us! Its leaves are edible and the purple tops are even a little sweet. Purple dead-nettle is a wild, edible green. Dead Nettle leaves are somewhat more hairy than Henbit leaves, especially along the edges. Dead nettle is often confused with henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), another member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family that is low-growing with purple flowers; however, henbit is also edible! However, we don’t recommend eating purple deadnettle but instead – getting rid of the weeds in your lawn. Purple dead nettle is a weed which is edible and rich in nutrients. Reply. Use dead-nettle in mixed-green salads or in … This plant is also known as purple dead-nettle and purple archangel. Dead Nettles are usually found in fields, yards, and disturbed areas such as roadsides and abandoned lots. We use purple dead nettle as a wild edible, but not as a medicinal plant. Learn how to make helpful herbal salves using purple dead nettle and other beneficial plants. It has a mild, slightly grassy, somewhat floral flavor, and the purple tops are even a little sweet. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Marla says: February 10, 2019 at 4:57 pm I’m curious why you don’t use it as a medicinal plant? Purple dead nettle (Lamium purpureum) is one of those plants that you may have overlooked or cut down on your own property without realizing it's not only edible, but quite flavorful.Like wild asparagus, it isn’t native to the U.S, but it has spread to cover most of the country. ). 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