![]() They are also attractive to a bee mimic called the giant bee fly ( Bombylius major). The nectar of purple deadnettle is attractive to bumble bees, honey bees and digger bees, a group of large bees that nest in the ground. The flowers of henbit provide a pollen and nectar source for long tongued bees such as honey bees and bumble bees in March and April. Pollinators like these flowering weedsĪlthough they are considered weeds, you may be interested to learn that henbit and purple deadnettle are utilized as a food source by pollinators in early spring. If there aren’t that many, they can be pulled or hoed out, or mowed down before they set seed. If you are trying to eliminate them with a herbicide, they are best controlled in fall or when they are actively growing. Henbit and purple deadnettle reproduce by seeds. The apical leaves on purple deadnettle have a purplish cast. The leaves of henbit are more rounded and scalloped and clasp the stem directly – they do not have a leaf petiole.įlowers and foliage of henbit. The leaves have a short petiole (stem) and are heart- or triangular-shaped with rounded teeth on the leaf margin. The leaves of purple deadnettle at the apex of the stems are tinted purple and fade to green as they mature. The flowers of henbit are longer and more slender than those of purple deadnettle. Henbit flowers are pink to purple with darker purple spots than those of purple deadnettle. Both have two-lipped tubular flowers, opposite leaves and square stems. They die in late spring and early summer after setting seed. Winter annuals begin to develop in fall, form a small rosette of leaves that overwinter, and complete their development in spring, forming flowers and seeds. Purple deadnettle and henbit are winter annuals. Among other features, members of the mint family have a characteristic square stem. They tend to grow in areas where the soil has been disturbed, such as fields, gardens and areas along buildings. ![]() Purple deadnettle ( Lamium purpureum) and henbit ( Lamium amplexicaule) are common weeds in the mint family that appear in early spring.
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