Henbit (2024)

FAQs

What is henbit dead nettle good for? ›

It's been used to refresh the spirits and even to give a rosy glow to the complexion. Modern foragers value Henbit for its potential to boost energy and alleviate anxiety. While not FDA-approved, it's worth noting that Henbit is rich in vitamins A, K, and C.

Henbit provides valuable erosion control in many cropland fields of the southern U.S., though it is also treated as a weed throughout the U.S. This plant is considered to have invasive characteristics and be weedy by several sources.

Henbit is edible, but caution is needed to avoid misidentifying similar plants. Not a snack for kids: Teach them plants are for admiring, not eating. Supervise outdoor play and keep Poison Control number handy for safety.

While creeping Charlie leaves are similar, the leaves of henbit will have fine hairs, while creeping Charlie's leaves are smooth. Pollinators, including hummingbirds, regularly visit creeping Charlie flowers.

Henbit is an important early-season source of nectar and pollen for honeybees. The leaves, stem, and flowers of the plant are edible and have a slightly sweet and peppery flavor, similar to celery.

Both species have square stems, characteristic of the mint family; however, henbit have sessile leaves in the reproductive stems (leaf attached directly to the stem), while purple deadnettle leaves are bore on petioles. Purple deadnettle leaves are also more triangular and have shallow lobes when compared to henbit.

It is primarily a problem in open areas of gardens or in weak, thin lawns. It can be discouraged in lawns by maintaining a dense turf through proper mowing and fertilization, and in shaded lawns by growing grass species more adapted to less sun which will better compete with weeds.

High Soil Fertility

You're likely to find henbit, yellow wood sorrel, ground ivy, and pigweed growing in very fertile garden soils that are high in organic matter. It's possible there is no need to add additional compost or manure.

Henbit, often dismissed as a mere weed, is not toxic to dogs. This common plant, with its purplish flowers, is frequently found in gardens and yards but poses no serious threat to your canine companion. Despite the general anxiety surrounding plants and pets, Henbit is one of the good guys.

If you wait until after it blooms to make your move, you may be dealing with this particular weed for several years to come. Once you've identified henbit in your lawn, take control by applying Roundup® for Lawns, which is specially formulated to kill weeds (like henbit) without harming your lawn when used as directed.

What happens if you eat purple dead nettle? ›

It's called dead nettle because – unlike its stinging cousin – the nettles in this plant are dead, rendering it completely safe to eat freshly plucked from the ground. This little “weed” is high in Vitamin C, iron, and fiber – plus the seeds are packed full of antioxidants.

I'm a big fan of the “use what you got” school of witchcraft, so I always end up harvesting a metric buttload of purple deadnettle each year in late March and early April. Grace Elm at the Little Victorian says, “Popping up in the earliest spring-like moments, purple deadnettle is a maideny herb.

Other people use the deadnettles, and sometimes henbit, as a groundcover to take advantage of the plants' tendency to spread and form large expanses of early spring color. Some nurseries even sell Lamium cultivars specifically as ground covers.

Henbit and chickweed are two weeds with very similar lifecycles and methods for control. While they can show up in shrub beds, they are more of a concern in the lawn. Henbit is the showier of the two with obvious purple flowers that cover the plant in spring.

Although they are considered weeds, you may be interested to learn henbit is a food source by pollinators in early spring. The flowers of henbit provide a pollen and nectar source for long-tongued bees, such as honey bees and bumblebees in March and April.