In article <Xns935F93A60811FSaltyThumb at 199.45.49.11>, Salty Thumb of
Death <salty at notsogreenthumb.fake> writes
>>Does anyone one know why it's called dead nettle? Something to do with
>death or is it a corruption of some other language? Is it true that it's
>presence indicates heavy metals (particularly lead) in the soil? From
>hearsay, I've gathered that it tends to grow in 'wasteland' which makes
>sense if the part about heavy metals is true.
>White dead nettle, _Lamium album_, when not in flower, looks very like a
true nettle, _Urtica dioica_. I conjecture that the name dead (meaning
non-stinging) nettle was originally applied to this species, and
subsequently extended to other species of _Lamium_.
In my younger days I was led to believe that the resemblance of _Lamium
album_ to _Urtica dioica_ was a case of mimicry - for purposes of
herbivore deterrence. Now I'm not sure whether that is true, or an urban
legend - as herbivores do consume nettles, and as herbivores may well
recognise plants by smell, rather than sight.
_Lamium album_ is not the only plant that can be mistaken for a nettle;
one of the British species of _Stachys_ can fool me (again when out of
flower). The hemp-nettles are quite so similar.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley
