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Red Dead-nettle

(Lamium purpureum)

Red Dead-nettle does not sting. It displays dense clusters of pinky-red flowers in whorls around its stem, and can be found on disturbed ground, such as roadside verges.

Red Dead-nettle © Amy Lewis
Red Dead-nettle © Amy Lewis

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Overview

Red Dead-nettle is a common plant of roadside verges, waste grounds and field edges – anywhere the ground has been disturbed or cultivated.

Like Yellow Archangel, and other members of the dead-nettle family, it doesn’t have stinging leaves. Its crimson flowers appear from March to October.

Key Facts

  • Looking similar to a stinging nettle, Red Dead-nettle is a downy annual with heart-shaped, toothed leaves, and reddish, square stems. Dense whorls of pinky-red, ‘hooded’ flowers appear up the stem.
  • Lots of different species of long-tongued insects visit the flowers of Red Dead-nettle, including the Red Mason bee and bumblebees. The caterpillars of Garden Tiger, White Ermine and Angle Shade moths feed on the leaves.
  • Height: up to 30cm

Status

Common.

Seasonality

March to October

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