...for discerning weeders November, 2012
WEED OF THE MONTH Henbit Lamium amplexicaule
Inside this issue:
Gobble, Gobble
2
Autumn Color
3
Events
4
Walk on the Wild 5 Side Thankful
6
Classes Starting
6
Book Review
7
Mark Your
7
Calendar Articles wanted
7
Puzzle Page
8
Last Word
9
DON’T FORGET! Daylight Savings Time Ends on November 4th!
By Jenny Gillis
They’re not alone. Hummingbirds like it too, but for nectar. The nectar and pollen of the early spring blooming flowers attract long-tongued A member of the bees, including honeybees and bumblebees - it mint family, Hen- helps start their spring buildup. The foliage is bit is a noneaten by voles and box turtles - rabbits rarely native, lowbother it. growing, weedy Growing either sprawling or upright, Henbit winter annual has multiple square stems emerging from a with pink to pur- shallow taproot that becomes finely branched ple flowers in winter and early spring. Henbit is roots. Stems grow six to eighteen inches tall and native to Europe, western Asia and northern are often purplish near the bottom and greenish Africa but has established itself all over North near the top. It spreads indefinitely in all direcAmerica. This weedy wildflower grows in farm tions. Its heart-shaped leaves are opposite and fields, pastures, roadsides, along stream beds, hairy, with big scalloped edges that grow along in drainage ditches, at the edge of lawns, garthe entire length of the stem. Its upper leaves, dens, nursery plots, areas along buildings, and where the flowers are located, clasp and encircle in other moist areas where it gets a little extra the entire stem, while the lower leaves have water in full or partial sun. It is often found stalks. The trumpet-shaped flowers are small growing in bare spots and thin or closelyless than an inch long, pale pink to purple to mowed lawns. red, and spotted on lower lip, with no aroma. Spring blooming Henbit is responsible for The flower petals have tiny purple hairs on the painting many lawns and roadsides pinkish upper part of the flowers - with the upper lip purple. But flowers may also bloom in the fall upright and cupped. The lower lip is 3 lobed and sometimes in the winter in North Florida. with the middle lobe notched deeply at tip. UsuBloom time lasts 1-2 months. Seedlings actually ally 6 - 10 flowers grow in whorled clusters sprout in the fall from seed dropped from the around the stem. Henbit grows in almost all previous spring’s crop. But Henbit can also resoils. produce by stems rooting at the nodes. Plants become dormant during the hot weather of summer. Continued on Page 5 Henbit’s flowers aren’t very pretty up close, but it is lovely growing in large patches. Travelers often see entire fields that are the reddishpurple of Henbit’s flowers before spring plowing. The flowers create carpets of lavender but Henbit is also known to spread aggressively and is considered an undesirable weed in lawns. It propagates freely by seed and is usually regarded as a weed. The common name, Henbit, is like chickweed: its name came from watching chickens liking it. 1