''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successful weeds of crop fields and are now widely

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

across much of the temperate world.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant families
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Description

The genus includes both annual and perennial species; they spread by both seeds and stems rooting as they grow along the ground. They have square stems and coarsely textured pairs of leaves, often with striking patterns or variegation. They produce double-lipped flowers in a wide range of colours. The common name "dead-nettle" has been derived from the German ''taube-nessel'' ("deaf nettle", or "nettle without a kernel"), and refers to the

resemblance Resemblance may refer to: *Similarity (philosophy) *Resemblance nominalism *Family Resemblance (anthropology) *Ludwig Wittgenstein's family resemblances *In text mining, the degree to which two documents resemble each other, calculated using shingl ...

of '' Lamium album'' to the very distantly related

stinging nettles ''Urtica dioica'', often known as common nettle, burn nettle, stinging nettle (although not all plants of this species sting) or nettle leaf, or just a nettle or stinger, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae. Ori ...

, but unlike those, they do not have stinging hairs and so are harmless or apparently "dead". Several closely related genera were formerly included in ''Lamium'' by some

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

s, including '' Galeopsis'' (hemp-nettles) and ''

Leonurus ''Leonurus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia, naturalized in New Zealand, Hawaii, New Caledonia, and much of North and South America. ''Leonurus japonicus'' is one of the 50 fundamental her ...

'' (motherworts).

Cultivation

''Lamium'' species are widely cultivated as

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as t ...

, and numerous

cultivars A cultivar is a type of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and when Plant propagation, propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and st ...

have been selected for garden use. They are frost hardy and grow well in most soils. Flower colour determines planting season and light requirement: white- and purple-coloured flowered species are planted in spring and prefer full sun. The yellow-flowered ones are planted in fall (autumn) and prefer shade. They often have

invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...

habits and need plenty of room.

Ecology

''Lamium'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species including angle shades, setaceous Hebrew character and the '' Coleophora'' case-bearers ''C. ballotella'', ''C. lineolea'' and ''C. ochripennella''. ; Species * '' Lamium album'' L. – (white dead-nettle) – widespread across Europe + northern Asia from Spain + Norway to Japan + Kamchatka; naturalized in New Zealand + North America * '' Lamium amplexicaule'' L. – (henbit dead-nettle) – widespread across Europe and northern Asia from Spain + Norway to Japan + Kamchatka, as well as North Africa, Ethiopia, Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands; naturalized in New Zealand, Hawaii, South America + North America * ''

Lamium bifidum ''Lamium bifidum'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to the Southern Europe. It was first described by botany, botanist Domenico Cirillo in 1788. Description ''Lamium bifidum'' is an annual plant, annual herba ...

'' Cirillo – Mediterranean from Portugal to Romania * ''

Lamium caucasicum ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very ...

'' Grossh. – Caucasus (southern European Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan) * ''

Lamium confertum ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successf ...

'' Fr. – northern Europe from Ireland to northern Russia; naturalized in Greenland + Iceland * ''

Lamium coutinhoi ''Lamium coutinhoi'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, endemic to central and northern Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland ...

'' J.G.García – Portugal * ''

Lamium demirizii ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successf ...

'' A.P.Khokhr. – Turkey * ''

Lamium eriocephalum ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very success ...

'' Benth. – Turkey * ''

Lamium flexuosum ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native plant, native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but s ...

'' Ten. – Spain, France, Italy, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia * ''

Lamium galactophyllum ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very success ...

'' Boiss. & Reut. – Turkey * '' Lamium galeobdolon'' (L.) L. – northern + central Europe and western Asia from Spain + Denmark east to Iran + Western Siberia; naturalized in New Zealand + Madeira * ''

Lamium garganicum ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very success ...

'' L. – Mediterranean + western Asia from Portugal to Kazakhstan + Saudi Arabia * '' Lamium gevorense'' (Gómez Hern.) Gómez Hern. & A.Pujadas – Spain, Portugal, Corsica * ''

Lamium glaberrimum ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become ver ...

'' (K.Koch) Taliev – Crimea * ''

Lamium × holsaticum ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native plant, native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but s ...

'' Prahl – central Europe ''(L. album × L. maculatum)'' * ''

Lamium macrodon ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very success ...

'' Boiss. & A.Huet – Turkey, Caucasus, Syria, Iran, Iraq * '' Lamium maculatum'' (L.) L. – (spotted white dead-nettle, purple dragon) – Europe + Middle East from Portugal to Turkey; also Gansu + Xinjiang Provinces of western China * ''

Lamium moluccellifolium ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very ...

'' (northern dead-nettle) * ''

Lamium moschatum ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successf ...

'' Mill. – eastern Mediterranean (Greece, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Cyprus) * ''

Lamium multifidum ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successf ...

'' L. – Turkey, Caucasus * ''

Lamium orientale ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successf ...

'' (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) E.H.L.Krause – Turkey, Syria, Palestine * ''

Lamium orvala ''Lamium orvala'', known as balm-leaved archangel, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to central eastern Europe (Austria, Italy, Hungary, Former Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the R ...

'' L. – Austria, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia * '' Lamium purpureum'' L. (red dead-nettle) – northern + central Europe and western Asia from Spain + Denmark east to Caucasus + Siberia; naturalized in Korea, Taiwan, North America, New Zealand, Argentina, Falkland Islands * ''

Lamium taiwanense ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successf ...

'' S.S.Ying – Taiwan * ''

Lamium tomentosum ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successf ...

'' Willd. – Turkey, Caucasus, Iran, Iraq * ''

Lamium vreemanii ''Lamium'' (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successf ...

'' A.P.Khokhr. – Turkey

References

{{Authority control Lamiaceae genera Garden plants Flora of Europe Flora of Serbia Flora of Africa