White Dead-Nettle

Lamium album

The Dead Nettle is a clear case of familiarity breeding contempt. Were it a rare plant just introduced to our notice, its pairs of handsome leaves and quaint hooded flowers, standing out so bravely in white tiers up the square stalks would be thought by us a marvel.......
G. Clarke Nuttall. Wild Flowers as the Grow. 1912

A clump of white dead-nettles by a tree

The general features of dead-nettles were discussed in the last blog about red dead-nettle. The name comes from their resemblance to the true or stinging nettle which is, in fact, in a different family. Perhaps this similarity in appearance is a form of mimicry so that dead-nettles gains some of the respect that is normally reserved for stinging nettles. It certainly worked that way for me when I was a child.
White dead-nettle conforms to the standard features of dead-nettles in general. There is a square stem that is slightly reinforced at the four corners. The leaves are opposite and successive leaf pairs are arranged at right angles to each other (decurrent). This in combination with the reducing size of the leaves viewed from bottom to top give the plant a pleasing and regular appearance when viewed from above.  Each leaf has a petiole and a heart-shaped or cordate base tapering an acutely angled tip. The presence of coarse teeth and a hairy appearance still makes me think twice before touching the leaf.
The key difference between stinging nettles and white dead-nettles is the stunning white flowers that are arranged in successive whorls up the stem. The oldest flowers are found lower down at the stem while buds can be seen near the top.
The calyx is comprised of five fused sepals and there are five teeth. The calyx is plainly visible in those spent flowers lower down the stem that have shed the corolla. If you look at the base of the calyx, with magnification you can see four nutlets.
The corolla which is larger and showier than that of red dead-nettle  is comprised of five fused petals. As is typical for dead-nettles it is zygomorphic, that is, it has two-fold or mirror symmetry. The prominent hooded upper lip conceals the four stamens, the style and the stigma and the two-lobed lower lip forms a useful landing platform for bees. Bumblebees seem to love these flowers so that when I stop to take photographs or just stop and stare, the sound of buzzing bees is seldom far away.

The square stem of white dead nettle

Nettle shaped leaves

Successive whorls of flowers up the stem. Lowermost -
calyces only, then mature flowers. Finally buds with unopened flowers.

Flower whorl from below. Anthers can be seen under the hooded upper lip.
Immature buds nearer the top of the frame.


The two lobed lower lip that forms a useful landing platform for bees.

A bumblebee getting 'stuck in' to a  flower.

Pollination

As with other dead-nettles a reasonably specialist pollinator is required to reach, by means of its proboscis, the nectar at the base of the corolla tube. This usually seems to mean bees. When they land on the platform formed by the lower lip of the corolla and move their head into the plant, pollen from the anthers sticks the bee's back to be transferred to the next flower.

Where to find white dead-nettle

In numerous places in the park where there is rough or disturbed ground. The flowers are often found co-existing with stinging nettles. It is unnecessary to single out any one location in the park.

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