In contrast to its cousins, the stinging nettle, the dead nettle has quite large labial flowers. Depending on the variety, they bloom in different colors. Almost all, however, exude a very sweet honey scent. It makes the dead nettle unmistakable.

Whether pink, white, yellow or violet: Deadnettle flowers smell and taste delicious

Deadnettle flowers - shape and colors

The deadnettle belongs to the mint family and so its flowers look like small tubes with lips on them. They each appear between two false whorls, which consist of short bracteoles.

5 to 15 flowers each grow on a dummy whorl. The colors are correct according to the respective variety and are:

  • White
  • pink
  • yellow
  • violet

The dead nettle varieties with white flowers are the most common in the wild. Golden dead nettles, on the other hand, are quite often kept as an ornamental plant in the garden.

The heyday of the deadnettle

Some dead nettle species bloom only in spring and later again in autumn. Other varieties, such as the purple-flowered deadnettle, bloom almost all year round, as long as it's not too cold outside.

Deadnettle flowers are edible

Like the rest of the plant, dead nettle flowers are non-toxic. They can even be used in the kitchen or fed as food to pets like rabbits and turtles.

In the kitchen, the flowers come into their own in wild salads. The colored deadnettle flowers are particularly popular for decorating fish dishes, salads or desserts.

The flowers can also be used to make teas and tinctures, which are recommended by natural medicine because of their expectorant and anti-inflammatory ingredients.

tips and tricks

The flowers of the white dead nettle, which mainly grow in meadows and on the edges of forests, are particularly aromatic and sweet. You can suck them dry or simply enjoy them fresh.

Category:

Herbs