Purple Dead Nettle — Positive ID

Lookalikes to Know

• Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule): Both are edible mint-family lawn weeds, but distinct: henbit has rounder, scalloped leaves with spots on the lower lip of the flower and grows low, spreading close to the ground. Purple dead nettle has more heart-shaped, pointed leaves, no spots on the flower's lower lip, and grows taller and more upright. Ground ivy is a third, related lawn-weed lookalike — the reliable test against both henbit and dead nettle is growth habit: ground ivy is a true creeping perennial that roots at its nodes (pull up a strand and find roots along it), while henbit and dead nettle are upright annuals that never root along the stem. See Ground Ivy's own card for the full comparison.