Since this forum includes mint, and this is in the mint family, I thought I would post this question here. I finally found the name of it, Henbit. It has square purplish stems, purple flowers and ruffly leaves, and a musky odor. It is usually short and bushy, but will get leggy at times. About the only thing I know to do with it, is pull it out as much as possible. My hens will eat some of it. It grows everywhere! I love peppermint and spearmint, and a few others, but I do not care for this one. Is there any good use for this stuff? My horse does not care much for it. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=wil ... sp=-1&sk=# Here is a picture of it on bing.com I think this is something the birdies brought home.
Lamium amplexicaule (Henbit, Henbit Deadnettle) To most it is a weed but spending time pulling it up makes no sense to me when it will be dead by the end of April here. It grows from late fall through spring but the heat of late spring and summer kills it. It does reseed and will cover the yard in a few years but in the middle of winter I think the purple flowers are welcome. It is edible but do some research before picking up a fork Horses know not to eat it, it will cause 'staggers' in sheep, horses and cattle. It is in the mint family but doesn't have a minty fragrance. It will pull up very easily if you are of that mind. If you want to try to prevent it next year, you will need to spray the yard with a pre-emergent in the fall (according to instructions for you area) weed killer will not do anything to keep it from coming back. Since it is edible it is also classified as an Herb.
It survives summer heat here. I think I have it almost year round here in zone 6b. It is very invasive, and takes over flower beds, lawns, etc. I give it to my chickens, they like it. My horse only nibbles it a little, not much. Glad to know I shouldnt give it to her though. The odor is not appetizing, so I probably won't eat any. I love regular mint though, and have other varities here. I have been trying to ID it for years. Recently, I picked some up, and checked the stems and they are square and purplish, so I knew it was a mint. Today I had a chance to look it up on bing, but had to add 'wild mint' to the search bar. Now if peppermint, spearmint and cat or horse mint were so prolific, I would like that better. The seeds on the henbit must be very tiny, as I have never even seen a seed pod on them.
