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Weed Identification in Nurseries and Landscapes

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Henbit - Lamium amplexicaule L.
 
Henbit flower Henbit leaf
Henbit flower. Henbit leaf.
Henbit seedling
Henbit seedling.
Henbit flower up close
Close-up of henbit flower.
Life cycle: Square-stemmed winter annual.

Leaves: Cotyledons are oval in outline and notched at the base where the hairy petioles attach. Opposite, circular to heart-shaped, hairy leaves have rounded teeth along the margins. Prominent, palmately veined leaves give a crinkled leaf surface. Lower leaves are attached by long petioles; upper leaves lack petioles and encircle the stem.

Stems
: Square, hairy, spreading stems with many ascending branches from the base can root at the lower nodes. Stems are up to 16 inches tall.

Flowers and fruit:
Pink to purple flowers in a two-lipped tube form in whorls in the upper leaf axils. Each flower produces four egg-shaped, one-seeded, grayish brown and speckled nutlets.

Reproduction
: Seeds.
Similar weeds: Purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum L.) Differs by having more triangle-shaped leaves, upper leaves with petioles and red to purple coloration.
Purple deadnettle
Purple foliage and flowers of purple deadnettle.
 
The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
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Updated: 10/16/07