Purple Deadnettle Lamium purpureum L. Also known as: red deadnettle, red henbit
Classification and Description:
Purple deadnettle and henbit are members of the Laminaceae – also Labiatae – (mint) family. These two species resemble each other from a distance and many folks often call both species henbit. Purple deadnettle is an erect or decumbent winter annual commonly found throughout Tennessee and the U.S. It is native to Eurasia.
This weed can reach heights of 16-18 inches. The cotyledons of purple deadnettle are oval, lack hairs and have crenate margins. Subsequent leaves all have petioles, though petiole length lessens upward on the plant. Leaves are opposite, triangular to heart-shaped, sparsely hairy and have coarse, rounded teeth at the margins. Leaves may be up to 1 inch long. Upper leaves appear closely stacked, are overlapping and bent downward. Upper leaves are more purplish red in color than the lower leaves, which tend to be deep green. Leaves become smaller as you go up the plant.
Stems are branched at the base, spreading and square in cross section. Purple to pinkish-purple flowers occur in whorls in the upper leaf axils. Flowers are slightly hairy outside and have a ring of hairs inside. Small nutlets are light brown mottled with white spots. Reproduction is by seed. Purple deadnettle has a taproot.
Dandelion is one of the healthiest and most versatile vegetables on the planet. The entire plant is edible. The leaves are like vitamin pills, containing generous amounts of vitamins A, C and K — far more than those garden tomatoes, in fact — along with calcium, iron, manganese, and potassium.
The leaves are most tender, and tastiest, when they are young. This happens in the spring but also all summer along as the plant tries to rebound after being cut or pulled. You can add them to soup in great abundance. Or you can prepare them Italian style by sautéing with a little olive oil, salt, garlic and some hot red pepper.
You can eat the bright, open flower heads in a lightly fried batter. You can also make a simple wine with the flowers by fermenting them with raisins and yeast. If you are slightly adventurous, you can roast the dandelion root, grind it, and brew it like coffee. It's an acquired taste. You might want to have some sugar on hand.
Common names:
Broadleaf Plantain, Lanceleaf Plantain, Ribwort
Botanical names:
Plantago lanceolata, Plantago major
Plantain, like dandelion, is a healthy, hardy weed as ubiquitous in the city as broken glass. You know what it looks like, but you might not have known the name.
Part of the confusion is that plantain shares its name with something utterly different, the banana-like plantain, whose etymology is a mix of Spanish and native Caribbean. The so-called weed plantain, or Plantago major, was cultivated in pre-Columbus Europe; and indeed Native Americans called it "the white man's footprint," because it seemed to follow European settlers.
Plantain has a nutritional profile similar to dandelion — that is, loaded with iron and other important vitamins and minerals. The leaves are tastiest when small and tender, usually in the spring but whenever new shoots appear after being cut back by a lawnmower. Bigger leaves are edible but bitter and fibrous. [World's Plants Growing Less Thanks to Warming]
The shoots of the broadleaf plantain, when green and tender and no longer than about four inches, can be described as a poor-man's fiddlehead, with a nutty, asparagus-like taste. Pan-fry in olive oil for just a few seconds to bring out this taste. The longer, browner shoots are also tasty prepared the same way, but the inner stem is too fibrous. You'll need to place the shoot in your mouth, clench with your teeth, and quickly pull out the stem. What you're eating are the plantain seeds.
The leaves of the equally ubiquitous narrow-leaf plantain, or Plantago lanceolata, also are edible when young. The shoot is "edible" only with quotation marks. You can eat the seeds should you have the patience to collect hundreds of plants for the handful of seeds you'd harvest. With time being money, it's likely not worth it.
Parts Used & Where Grown
These green, weedy plants are native to Europe and Asia, but now grow practically anywhere in the world where there is sufficient water. Plantain should not be confused with the banana-like vegetable of the same name. The leaves of plantain are primarily used as medicine. The seeds of plantain can also be used medicinally, having mild laxative effects similar to the seeds of psyllium, a close relative of plantain.
Thanks for reading!
http://www.livescience.com/15322-healthiest-backyard-weeds.html
http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hn-2148003
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