Scientific Name
Lamium amplexicaule L.
Common Name(s)
Henbit Dead-nettle, Common Henbit, Greater Henbit
Synonym(s)
Lamium amplexicaule var. amplexicaule, Lamium amplexicaule f. amplexicaule, Galeobdolon amplexicaule, Lamiella amplexicaulis, Lamiopsis amplexicaulis, Lamium lassithiense, Lamium mauritanicum, Lamium mesogaeon, Lamium rumelicum, Lamium stepposum, Pollichia amplexicaulis
Scientific Classification
Family: Lamiaceae
Subfamily: Lamioideae
Tribe: Echinocereeae
Genus: Lamium
Flower
Color: Pink to purple
Bloom Time: Early spring
Description
Lamium amplexicaule is a low-growing annual plant with soft, finely hairy stems. It grows up to 10 inches (25 cm) tall. Leaves are opposite, rounded with lobed margins, and up to 1.2 inches (3 cm) in diameter. Flowers are pink to purple and up to 0.8 inches (2 cm) long.

Hardiness
It is grown as an annual plant, so it has no USDA hardiness zone.
How to Grow and Care
Lamium is undemanding and easy to grow in partial to fully shaded locations. It prefers well-drained soil but will do fine in the dry shade if you provide it with regular watering. A member of the mint family, Lamium spreads quickly, is self-seeding, and will rapidly create a groundcover wherever it is planted. Its brittle, fragile stems help keep it from becoming aggressively invasive and also allow bulbs and other perennials to penetrate its foliage.
In regions with cold winters, Lamium is deciduous. In milder climates, it is semi-evergreen. In either case, cut back shabby foliage after the first frost to make way for new spring growth. In midsummer, after the blooming period is over, prune plants back by one-third to help prevent them from becoming too invasive. The midsummer shearing also encourages a second blooming period in September. Not terribly picky, spotted Dead Nettles do just fine in average, well-drained soil. There is no need to apply fertilizer, which can encourage them to become too robust and invasive. See more at How to Grow and Care for Lamium.
Origin
It is native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa.
Links
- Back to genus Lamium
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
Photo Gallery
Click on a photo to see a larger version.