Henbit Deadnettle vs Purple Deadnettle
These introduced weedy annuals, both low-grade invasives in much of North America, overlap greatly in range and habitat, and are visually similar. They can be easily distinguished by close examination of the arrangement of leaves and flowers near the stem tips. L. purpureum is slightly more shade-tolerant, whereas L. amplexicaule has a slightly more extensive range and ranges into slightly drier conditions.
Henbit Deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule) | Purple Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) |
A low-growing, sprawling annual in the mint family. Native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and introduced in North America. | A winter annual native to Eurasia and introduced in North America, usually found on rich, moist sites with disturbed soil. |
 Leaves directly under flower clusters are sessile, attached to the main stem without a stem of their own. Upper leaf pairs sometimes look nearly-fused, like one leaf that wraps around the stem. Photo © Bill Keim, CC BY 4.0. |  All leaves, including ones directly under flower clusters, have petioles, stems connecting them to the main stem. At the top of the plant, near flowers, these petioles are usually only visible from underneath. Photo © Sam Gartrell, CC BY 4.0. |
 Flowers proceed from the uppermost axils of the plant, and usually project above the top of the highest leaves. Photo © Cindy MC wildlydistracted, CC BY 4.0. |  Flowers are only found in the axils underneath the top of the plant, and are usually hidden by a few sets of leaves. Stem tips have a pagoda-like appearance. Photo © Martin Kalfatovic, CC BY 4.0. |
 Leaves look coarser-textured, with a smaller number of deeper serrations, and fewer veins. Serrations are rounder or more blunt-tipped. Photo © Linda Jo Conn, CC BY 4.0. |  Leaves look finer-textured, with a larger number of finer, shallower serrations, and more veins. Serrations are sharper-tipped. Photo © Sandy Wolkenberg, CC BY 4.0. |
 Leaves on mature plants near the tips of stems tend to be held upright and usually only droop if drought-stressed. Photo © cigazze, CC BY 4.0. |  Leaves on mature plants near the tips of stems tend to droop, even if not drought-stressed. Photo © Andrew Conboy, CC BY 4.0. |
References & External Resources
These short lists show only links helpful for ID. For a complete list of references and resources also covering other aspects of ecology, visit the links section of the full article on each plant, which is the first entry here.
