Friday 17 May
Red dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum)
Red dead-nettle fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Red dead-nettle description
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Anthophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Lamiales |
| Family | Lamiaceae |
| Genus | Lamium (1) |
Evidence of red dead-nettle has been found in Bronze Age deposits, and it seems likely that this plant was introduced to Britain with early agriculture (1). It is a hairy plant that branches from the base. The leaves have wavy to serrated edges and are attached to the stem with a stalk. The flowers are arranged in an inflorescence and are pinkish-purple in colour (2) with a hooded upper lip (4). Red dead-nettles are so-called as they do not sting (5).
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Red dead-nettle biology
Red dead-nettle is an annual plant (3) that flowers from April to November (1). The flowers are pollinated by bees (2). As with white dead-nettle, most country children know that it is possible to suck drops of nectar from the bases of the flowers of red dead-nettle (5).
TopRed dead-nettle range
This dead-nettle is common throughout much of the British Isles, to altitudes of 610 meters (2). It appears to have declined in Scotland, possibly as a result of a reduction in marginal arable land (3). Elsewhere, red dead-nettle is found in most of Europe, but is absent from many of the Mediterranean islands and is restricted to mountains in the more southerly areas (2).
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Species with a similar range
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You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway. |
Red dead-nettle habitat
Found in waste ground, cultivated land, hedgerows, gardens, rough grassland and on railway and road verges (3).
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Red dead-nettle status
Common and widespread. Not threatened (3).
TopRed dead-nettle threats
This species is not threatened.
TopRed dead-nettle conservation
Conservation action is not required for this common species.
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There may be further information about this species available via the National Biodiversity Network Gateway. |
Find out more
For more on British native plants and for details of how to get involved in plant conservation visit the website of Plantlife, the wild plant charity:
www.plantlife.org.uk
Authentication
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.ukTopGlossary
- Annual
- Lives or grows for just one year.
- Inflorescence
- The reproductive shoot of the plant, which bears flowers (See http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ksheets/pdfs/flower.pdf for a fact sheet on flower structure).
References
- National Biodiversity Network Species Dictionary (September 2003): http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nbn/
- Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G., and Moore, D.M. (1987) Flora of the British Isles 3rd Edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Preston, C.D., Pearman, D.A. and Dines, T.D. (2002) New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Stace, C. (1991) New Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Mabey, R. (1996) Flora Britannica. Sinclair-Stevenson, London.
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Red dead-nettle flower detail
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