April 4, 2023
On daily walks this time of year be on the lookout for Common Henbit one of our earliest booming weeds.
Common Henbit or Lamium amplexicaule, is a native of Europe, Asia and Africa. This member of the mint family is a low growing, late winter or very early spring purple-flowered weed whose flowers stand out sharply against the still drab brown of early spring waste places and poorly maintained lawns. This spring blooming weed survives in cool weather and shady places, and dies off as temperatures rise.
The flowers are arranged in whorls among the upper leaves. The leaves are opposite, about an inch across, rounded, coarsely lobed, bright green with prominent leaf veins. The upper leaves are directly attached to the square (in cross section) stem, the leaf having no “leaf stem” (petiole), while the lower leaves have long petioles. (The species name “amplexicaule” means: “grasping stem“ from: amplexus = grasping + caule = stem ”). The purple or green square stem is also a clue to its relationship to other members of the mint family which all have this square stem feature.
Its purple flower has five petals and typical of the mint family, two are fused into an upper lobe and three fused into a longer, lower lobe, which at a lower level form the tubular base of the flower. The stamens are commonly four, with two longer and two shorter arranged against the upper flower lobe.
The common name “Henbit”may refer to observations that free range chickens foraging in weed fields often consumed this plant. As an early blooming plant Henbit is an important source of nectar and pollen for first emerging honeybees and bumblebees, and also provides a source of nectar to early arriving hummingbirds. Its fibrous roots serve to anchor soils. Like other mints Henbit is edible. Unlike peppermint and other members of this family, it does not have a strong mint scent. Though it can be used much as peppermint is used for culinary purposes, rather than a minty sent and taste it is reputed to have a slightly sweet and peppery flavor (not tested or recommended by this author).
Purple Dead Nettle, Lamium purpureum another mint family member, which looks much like Henbit but generally appears later in the season*, is of the same genera (Lamium), but unlike its close relative L. amplexicaule (above) it has triangular (rather than round) leaves which are attacjhed to the stem with petioles , and the upper leaves rather than green have a purple cast to them.
*Though Henbit is an earlier bloomer, this year, I observed on this date, several areas where Henbit and Purple Dead Nettle were growing side by side and both in bloom. In 2023 by April 4, large swathes of walkway grassy margins were found to have extensive areas of Purple Dead Nettle in bloom on this date intermixed with Hairy Bittercress (see below). While Henbit which was observed in bloom from late February and March was much less common. Perhaps the early and warm spring is the cause.
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