Category: Square Stem

Purple Deadnettle Revisited

If you haven’t noticed it yet, take up an image, keep it in mind, watch for it. It’s out there. Even now.

Purple Deadnettle (Hamamelis virginiana) is a member of the mint family. Its square stem is a sure sign of that heritage. It’s an herbaceous plant not native to North America but to Europe and Asia. It is certainly invasive but can easily be pulled thanks to shallow roots.

Being an annual winter weed, Purple Deadnettle quickly takes over farmer’s fields turning them into colorful and, to my eye, beautiful fields. And why the name, Deadnettle? That name is in reference to the resemblance of the leaves to leaves in the Nettle family and their stinging hairs. However Purple Deadnettle leaves do not have stinging hairs. They are safe, or “dead,” and not a problem to touch.

American Germander

Native to all 48 of our contiguous states and a good bit of Canada too. An herbaceous perennial in the mint family American Germander (Teucrium canadense).

Opposite leaves, squarish stem. Typical of the mint family.

You’ll find Bees of the long-tongued sort, Hummingbird Moths, and Hummingbirds them selves, as pollinators. And if you’re looking for a word to impress someone, the flowers are said to be zygomorphic. Meaning there’s only one line along which the flower can be divided into equal halves – creating a mirror image.

American Germander being in the mint family, I would think that the plant’s leaves are edible. But first off, the leaves are bitter. That certainly helps if you have problems with critters browsing in your gardens. And as is so often the case with plants that surround us, it presents a danger. American Germander has high levels of neoclerodane diterpenoid, which causes liver damage. Look but don’t eat!