Red Dead Nettle

In March, we try to get out for a walk with the dog whenever the weather here in western Oregon is good (i.e., not raining)! Today, the first day of daylight savings time, we saw a dry, warm (62 degrees) afternoon, so off we went. As I was walking by our neighbor's last year's garden plot I noticed a fine carpet of purple plants sticking up about five inches out of the tilled ground.

This caught my eye, so after the walk I came back to take a closer look. Well it was an easy ID time because these Red Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum) are very distinctive looking and tend to grow in moist, disturbed areas. The purple and green heart shaped, mint-like leaves and the tiny purple flowers are unique.

These plants are quite hardy and can bloom any time during the year, even in mild winters. Although called nettles, the leaves do not produce a toxic venom as does the Stinging Nettle. True nettles are in the Urtica genus, which is not related to Lamium (Mint family). Hence the name "dead" nettle, meaning no sting!

Red Dead Nettle is native to Europe and Asia, and is considered an invasive weed in some areas of North America. I found several references stating that it is good in salad or as a tea for the treatment of internal and external bleeding. Just make sure the plants have not been sprayed with weed killers!