Hemp Nettle, Common

Hemp Nettle, Common

 

(Galeopsis tetrahii), a plant of the Labiatae family. It is an annual growing to 40 cm in height, with opposite ovate leaves that are dentate and covered, as is the stem, with bristly hairs. The flowers are bilabiate and purple or, less commonly, white, with a yellow spot in the throat; they are gathered in whorled inflorescences in the axil of the upper leaves. Common hemp nettle grows nearly everywhere in Europe, chiefly as a weed in fields, gardens, orchards, and moist places. It is nectariferous. The seeds contain about 40 percent of hemp nettle oil, which is suitable for obtaining drying oil.