Appearance
It grows to 5–20 cm in height. The leaves have fine hairs, are green at the bottom and shade to purplish at the top; they are 2–4 cm long and broad, with a 1–2 cm petiole, and wavy to serrated margins.The zygomorphic flowers are bright red-purple, with a top hood-like petal, two lower lip petal lobes and minute fang-like lobes between.They may be produced throughout the year, including mild weather in winter. This allows bees to gather its nectar for food when few other nectar sources are available. It is also a prominent source of pollen for bees in March/April, when bees need the pollen as protein to build up their nest.
Naming
It is often found alongside Henbit Deadnettle, which is easily mistaken for it since they both have similar looking leaves and similar bright purple flowers; they can be distinguished by the "stalked" leaves of Red Deadnettle on the flower stem, compared to the "unstalked" leaves of Henbit Deadnettle.Though superficially similar to a nettle in appearance, it is not related and does not sting, hence the name "deadnettle".
Status
Outside of its native range, it is a common weed of cultivated areas; it is listed as an invasive species in some parts of North America.References:
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