Mint / Dead-Nettle Family [Lamiaceae] |
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7th Aug 2008, Etherow Valley, Gtr. M/cr. [White variety] | Photo: © RWD |
A common arable weed that grows to 1m. It seem to your Author that the white variety (in this photo) is more common than is the pinkish-red one (below), despite the fact that the books say it is the other way around. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Typical stance: a pair of opposite stems branch off the main stem in V-formation every so often. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Leaves Nettle-shaped but lack stinging hairs). |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers at the ends of all branches. Leaves have a satin sheen on top and rounded teeth. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers emerge from a five-spiked sepal tube which are quite sharp. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers have a cowl and three lower lobes a little like those of either Pyramidal Orchid or Red Valerian. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers have a long tapering section before opening up. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Sepal tubes are green with reddish brown marks and extremely long and sharp teeth. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers hairy, with longer hairs atop the cowl. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Central lip is slightly longer than the two side lips. Cowl short and curved. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Central lip without a nick (if nicked, then it is probably Bifid Hemp-Nettle which also has the darker markings which extend to the nick; if only slightly nicked then it could be the hybrid between Common Hemp-nettle and Bifid Hemp-Nettle). Pale-yellow markings surrounded by a deeper purple area on central lip. Flower also pale-yellow in the tapering tube. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Sepal tubes, many empty, have purple-brown markings. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Seven-fold branching all in the same plane. Outer pair of stalks bear a single leaf on a long stalk, next pair of stalks a few leaves whilst the inner V-shaped pair of stalks are flowering stalks. The central stalk is a thinner extension of the main stalk which also bears flowers. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Flowering stems square. All stems have longish trichomes (hairs with a bulbous base, but in this case they do not secrete noxious substances as do the trichomes on Stinging Nettle). |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Leaves in opposite pairs. |
10th Aug 2012, Flagg, Derbyshire. [Pink Variety] | Photo: © RWD |
The leaves also have inconspicuous hairs (probably trichomes), are deeply veined and with bluntish teeth. |
12th July 2020, Wessex Ridgeway, Dorset. | Photo: © Iain Houston |
Going to seed. |
12th July 2020, Wessex Ridgeway, Dorset. | Photo: © Iain Houston |
Going to seed. |
7th Aug 2008, Etherow Valley, Gtr. M/cr. [White variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Some specimens have a menacing appearance with long and sharp dark-purple-brown sepal teeth. |
13th Sept 2018, arable fields, Upholland, Wigan, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
These spines are so long and sharp they can easily penetrate skin. Ouch!! |
7th Aug 2008, Etherow Valley, Gtr. M/cr. [White variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Markings on white variety similar to those on pink variety but without the overall pink colouring. |
13th Sept 2018, arable fields, Upholland, Wigan, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Showing the 4 filaments and anthers and a central style, all white, all long, all under the hooded petal. |
8th Aug 2012, a garden, Sabden, Lancashire. [Intermediate variety] | Photo: © RWD |
In a garden. |
8th Aug 2012, a garden, Sabden, Lancashire. [Intermediate variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Growing wild in a garden. These flowers have even longer tapering tubes before opening out, but your Author still thinks these are within the envelope of Common Hemp-nettle. |
8th Aug 2012, a garden, Sabden, Lancashire. [Intermediate variety] | Photo: © RWD |
The flowers here are as long as those of Henbit Dead-nettle, but are otherwise totally differing conforming to the variation to be found within Common Hemp-nettle. |
8th Aug 2012, a garden, Sabden, Lancashire. [Intermediate variety] | Photo: © RWD |
Some examples of Common Hemp-nettle do have several short teeth at the end of the cowl, as here. These examples have a central lip suffused with a pale mauve. Perhaps these are just more mature than the others shown on this page. |
Hybridizes with : Bifid Hemp-Nettle (Galeopsis bifida) to produce Galeopsis × ludwigii but the above photos are not the hybrid since the hybrid does not grow anywhere near the shooting location of the above photographs. Extremely similar to: Bifid Hemp-Nettle (Galeopsis bifida). The identifying feature to differentiate the two is the total lack of any nick in the central lower lip and the paler markings on Common Hemp-nettle which never extend as far as the end of the lip.
Similar to : Red Hemp-Nettle (Galeopsis angustifolia) which has downy (rather than hairy) stems and the flowers are a deep-pink and the leaves narrower than either Not to be semantically confused with : Hemp (Cannabis sativa) [a plant with similar name belonging to a differing family] Not relation to : Stinging Nettle [a plant with similar name and similar leaves]. Not to be confused with : Dead-nettles such as Red Dead-Nettle which belong in differing Genera within the same Mint and Dead-nettle Family. An annual which grows both in arable fields and on disturbed ground, in damp woodland, stream-banks, fens and heaths. More common than Bifid Hemp-Nettle.
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Galeopsis | tetrahit | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Lamiaceae |
Galeopsis (Hemp-Nettles) |
Mint / Dead-Nettle Family [Lamiaceae] |