Purple Dead-nettle is usually considered a weed and originates from Europe and Asia. It is low growing and blooms occur throughout the year including warmer weather in winter. It can be found in lawns, along roads, gardens and meadows. It is often confused with Henbit and they can grow together. Henbit has stemless leaves.
Prefers full sun to light shade and moist fertile soil. The foliage is little bothered by disease and insect pests. This plant develops quickly during the cool weather of spring.
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The leaves and flowers can be eaten sparingly in salads or as a garnish, or cooked in soups, stir-fries etc. It’s quite pubescent (obtusely worded for hairy) so I like to mix it with other greens or cook it to mask its texture. Plants make hairs for many reasons, one of the primary ones being to deter herbivory. It works on me, and many other fellow two-legged mammals. This is a nibble plant anyhow, and not your primary potherb kind of wild green. Can you imagine cooking up a mess of peppermint? Once it starts going to seed, the calyx gets a little pokey and the salads get a little chokey.