Henbit: A Purple Wildflower With Purpose
Technically it's an herb. Most gardeners would tell you it's a weed. But is it good for anything?
Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is a vibrant plant and familiar early spring visitor to lawns, gardens, and disturbed soils. If you’ve seen it, you’ve probably dismissed it as a weed.
Henbit is technically a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) and has ecological value, practical uses, and plays a key role in supporting wildlife.
Originally from Europe and Asia, Henbit spread across North America, thriving in temperate climates where it blooms as early as February or March. Its square stems (a mint family hallmark) seldom over a foot tall. This helps the plant avoid harsh winds and mowing blades.
Its tubular, pinkish-purple flowers, often speckled with darker spots, emerge in whorls around the upper leaves. These blooms are perfectly adapted to attract early pollinators like bees and butterflies, offering nectar when few other plants are flowering.
As an annual, Henbit completes its life cycle in one season, relying on prolific seed production to colonize new areas. This adaptability lets it flourish in tough spots, like sidewalk cracks, fields, or garden edges, where competition is low.
Animals like rabbits, deer, and groundhogs graze on its leaves and stems, and birds like sparrows and finches eat the seeds, which helps seed dispersal.
Humans can use Henbit. Its mildly peppery leaves and stems are edible raw in salads or cooked as greens, and herbalists include it in recipes for anti-inflammatory effects. Historically, it’s been brewed into teas or poultices, but of course, don’t consume it at all unless you have a thorough understanding of what you’re doing.
So, if you’re wondering what that field full of small purple flowers is, you are probably looking at Henbit. If it’s in your flowerbed, you could dismiss it as a weed, or you could leave it for added biodiversity. (If you do want to remove it, try to do so before it flowers to help reduce the chance of it spreading seeds.)