Mint / Dead-Nettle Family [Lamiaceae] |
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24th Aug 2011, an arable field, Rainford, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Grows up to a metre high mainly in arable fields. |
24th Aug 2011, an arable field, Rainford, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Extremely like Common Hemp-Nettle with which it can hybridize. |
24th Aug 2011, an arable field, Rainford, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Leaves light-green, in opposite pairs, lanceolate and toothed. |
24th Aug 2011, an arable field, Rainford, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Mainly pinkish flowers (can be yellow) grow in small whorls at the ends of any stems. Stem branches off in opposite pairs just above a pair of leaves. |
24th Aug 2011, an arable field, Rainford, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers emerge from deeply toothed sepal tubes in a long conical whitish corolla tube at first, opening out at the end into two petals, an upper lip and a three-lobed lower lip. |
24th Aug 2011, an arable field, Rainford, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Flower usually pinkish, with redder stripes below the petals. Upper lip cowled houses the four stamens. |
24th Aug 2011, an arable field, Rainford, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Lower lip is three-lobed; the two side lobes angled ±60° outwards and downwards; the central lobe having having a central nick which differentiates it from Common Hemp-Nettle and gives rise to its specific epithet bifid. |
24th Aug 2011, an arable field, Rainford, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Central lower lip is saddle shaped, with two blunt spurs at the top projecting outwards and upwards. The magenta and yellow markings on the central lower lip are darker and more extensive than those on Common Hemp-Nettle. |
24th Aug 2011, an arable field, Rainford, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The stems, often reddish, are square and hairy on all sides. |
24th Aug 2011, an arable field, Rainford, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Longish white hairs. |
24th Aug 2011, an arable field, Rainford, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Leaves also have longish white hairs. Two empty sepal tubes are shown, which house the seeds. |
24th Aug 2011, an arable field, Rainford, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Obverse of leaves have prominent veins and mid-rib. |
Hybridizes with : Common Hemp-Nettle (Galeopsis tetrahit) to produce Galeopsis × ludwigii but the above photos are not the hybrid since the hybrid does not grow anywhere near the Rainford area. Extremely similar to: Common Hemp-Nettle but that never occurs in yellow. The identifying feature to differentiate the two is the nick in the central lower lip and the more extensive and darker markings on Bifid Hemp-nettle. 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 principally in arable fields. The seeds are of low fertility, only 20-30% and thus the plant does not spread as much as that of Common Hemp-Nettle.
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Galeopsis | bifida | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Lamiaceae |
Galeopsis (Hemp-Nettles) |
Mint / Dead-Nettle Family [Lamiaceae] |