Lamiaceae . . . . . . Dead-nettle family

Characteristic square stems, opposite lvs and zygomorphic fls; many spp. are widely grown as scented garden or medicinal herbs; genera not shown here include: Lavandula, Melittis, Phlomis, Satureja

Select by flower colour:

Lamiaceae with Blue to Mauve to Purple flowers:

Scutellaria minor

Scutellaria galericulata

Ajuga reptans

Salvia verbenacea

Lesser Skullcap

Skullcap

Bugle

Wild Clary

Prunella vulgaris

Rosmarinus officinalis

Glechoma hederifolius

Mentha aquatica

Self-heal

Rosemary

Ground-ivy

Water Mint

Clinopodium nepeta

Hyssopus officinalis

Lesser Calamint

Hyssop

Note that flower shape is somewhat similar in : Orobanchaceae

Lamiaceae with Red-Pink flowers:

Thymus drucei

Betonica officinalis

Stachys sylvatica

Stachys palustris

Thyme

Betony

Hedge Woundwort

Marsh Woundwort

Stachys alpina

Stachys arvensis

Origanum vulgare

Nepeta x faasenii

Limestone Woundwort

Field Woundwort

Marjoram

Catmint

Lamium purpureum

Lamium amplexicaule

Lamium maculatum

Galeopsis bifida

Red Dead-nettle

Henbit Dead-nettle

Spotted Dead-nettle

Bifid Hemp-nettle

Ballota nigra

Mentha aquatica

Clinopodium vulgare

Clinopodium ascendens

Black Horehound

Water Mint

Wild Basil

Calamint

Clinopodium nepeta

Teucrium chamaedrys

Scutellaria minor

Lesser calamint

Wall Germander

Lesser Scullcap

Motherwort

Stachys byzantina

Winter Savory

Lamb's-ear

Note that flower shape is somewhat similar in : Orobanchaceae

Lamiaceae with Yellow flowers:

Ajuga chamaepitys

Lamiastrum galeobdolon

Galeopsis speciosa

Galeopsis tetrahit

Ground-pine

Yellow Archangel

Large-flowered Hemp-nettle

Hemp-nettle

Teucrium scorodonia

Phlomis russeliana

Phlomis fruticosa

Wood Sage

Turkish Sage

Jerusalem Sage

Note that flower shape is somewhat similar in : Orobanchaceae

Lamiaceae - White flowers:

Melissa officinalis

Lycopus europaeus

Galeopsis speciosa

White Dead-nettle

Lemon Balm

Gipsywort

Hemp-nettles

Spear Mint

White Horehound

White Red-dead-nettle

Note that flower shape is somewhat similar in : Orobanchaceae

Ajuga . . . . . Bugles

Ajuga chamepitys . . . . Ground-pine

Rare in S En

Ajuga reptans . . . . Bugle

Common throughout BI

Also the rare A. pyramidalis (Pyramidal Bugle) with stems hairy on all 4 sides and lvs pubescent; very local in NW Sc and W Ire

Ballota . . . . . Horehound

Ballota nigra . . . . Black Horehound

Widespread in S & C Br to Edinburgh and Liverpool - uncommon elsewhere

Betonica officinalis . . . . . Betony

Betonica . . . . Betony

Widespread in En & Wa, rare elsewhere

Clinopodium . . . . . Calamints/Wild Basil

Clinopodium acinos . . . . Basil-thyme

Local on calcareous grassland esp. in S Br, has <7 fls per node

Clinopodium ascendens . . . . Common Calamint

Local on dry calcareous grassland esp. in S Br and S Ire; calyx teeth >2mm

Clinopodium ascendens . . . . Common Calamint

Local on dry calcareous grassland esp. in S Br and S Ire; calyx teeth >2mm

Clinopodium vulgare . . . . Wild Basil

Frequent in Br in hedgerows and scrub on alkaline soils

Galeopsis . . . . . Hemp-nettles

Galeopsis bifida . . . . Hemp-nettle

Distinguished by divided lower petal; mainly in S & C Br to C Sc

Galeopsis speciosa . . . . Large-flowered Hemp-nettle

Note that flower c.2x length of calyx (cf. G tetrahit which is <1.5x); local in N Br

Galeopsis tetrahit . . . . Hemp-nettle

Note that flower usually <1.5x length of calyx (cf. G speciosa which is c.2x); mainly in S & C Br to C Sc

Red hempnettle (G. angustifolia) is narrow lvd and scattered mostly in EN and E Ire

Glechoma . . . . . Ground-ivy

Glechoma hederacea . . . . Ground-ivy

Throughout BI, esp. in S

Possibly confused with: Cornish Moneywort

Hyssopus . . . . . Hyssop

Hyssopus officinalis . . . . Hyssop

Grown in gardens and casual

Lamiastrum . . . . . Yellow Archngel

Lamiastrum galeobdolon . . . . Yellow Archangel

The subsp. argentatum white white-blotched lvs is spreading rapidly from gardens

Lamium . . . . . Dead-nettles

Choose from:

L. amplexicaule

white L. purpureum

Note that Ballota, Galeopsis, Lamiastrum, Melissa and Stachys all have spp. with similar lvs

Lamium album . . . . White Dead-nettle

Common exc. N & W Sc

Lamium amplexicaule . . . . Henbit Dead-nettle

Over all the BI, commonest in the E

Lamium confertum . . . . Northern Dead-nettle

Upper lvs, sessile, lower petiolate (evenly divided), calyx (>8 mm) with long teeth; mostly near coast in the N half of Scotland, Man and occasional in Ire

Lamium hybridum . . . . Cut-leaved Dead-nettle

Reasonably frequent in the lowlands as a garden weed; possibly just a subsp. of L. purpureum

Similar, but larger, is Northern Dead-nettle (L. confertum)

Lamium maculatum . . . . Spotted Dead-nettle

Widely naturalised

Lamium purpureum . . . . Red Dead-nettle

Common

Also occurs as white form:

Leonurus . . . . . Motherwort

Leonurus cardiaca . . . . Motherwort

Sparsely scattered in Br - grown in medicinal gardens

Lycopus . . . . . Gipsywort

Lycopus europaeus . . . . . Gipsywort

Common in wet places, especially in S

Marrubium . . . . . White Horehound

Marrubium vulgare . . . . White Horehound

Sparsely scattered in BI, often escape from herb gardens

Melissa . . . . . Balm

Melissa officinalis . . . . Lemon-scented and widely planted

Mentha . . . . . Mints

Choose from the varieties below:

Mentha aquatica

Mentha spicata

Mentha suaveolens

Mentha x villosa

Mentha arvensis

Mentha requienii

Mentha aquatica on L.

Mentha x. villosa on R

. . .

Mentha pulegium

M. x verticillata

Note these are just representative of the many spp. and hybrids that occur

Mentha aquatica . . . . Water Mint

Common in wet places, terminal roundish heads

Mentha arvensis . . . . Corn Mint

Frequent in damp roadsides, etc.

M. pulegium (Pennyroyal) is similar, but has hairs inside calyx - use lens.

Mentha pulegium . . . . Pennyroyal

Local, esp. in S near the sea, sometimes from grass seed; smaller than M. arvensis with hairs inside calyx.

Mentha requienii . . . . Corsican Mint

A garden escape of cultivated ground, tracks, etc.

Mentha spicata . . . . Spear Mint

Mentha suaveolens . . . . Round-leaved Mint

Mentha x verticillata . . . . Whorled Mint

Common; a cross between M. aquatica & M. arvensis without the dense terminal head of the former

Mentha x villosa . . . . Apple Mint

A cross between M. spicata & M. suaveolens

- Note comparison of M. aquatica on Left and M. x villosa on Right:

Nepeta . . . . . Catmints

Nepeta x faasenii . . . . Garden Catmint

Common garden escapes, rather variable with spp. not very distinct. This one tends to have grey-ish lvs

N. racemosa (Eastern Catmint) is similar but with cordate lvs; in N. cataria fls are white with purple spots, scattered esp. in En and Wa

Oreganum . . . . . Marjoram

Origanum vulgare . . . . Marjoram

On dry calcareous soils exc. N Sc

Phlomis . . . . . Sages

Phlomis russeliana . . . . Turkish Sage

A herb with basal lvs cordate and wintergreen, naturalised by roads and rough ground esp. En & Wa

Phlomis fruticosa . . . . Jerusalem Sage

Evergreen shrub, persistent as a throw-out garden plant

Prunella . . . . . Self-heal

Prunella vulgaris . . . . Self-heal

Rosmarinus . . . . . Rosemary

Rosmarinus officinalis . . . . Rosemary

Widely grown but naturalised plants scattered from CI N to C Sc

Salvia . . . . . Claries

Salvia verbenacea . . . . Wild Clary

Local in SE and CI

S. pratensis (Meadow Clary) is similar with many glandular hairs on flowers; a local native in S En; many other Salvia spp. are grown in gardens and often escape

Satureja . . . . . Winter Savory

Satureja montana . . . . Winter Savory

A garden plant sometimes established on walls

Scutellaria . . . . . Skullcaps

Scutellaria galericulata . . . . Skullcap

Scutellaria minor . . . . Lesser Skullcap

Rather local in SW Br and SW Ire

Stachys . . . . . Woundworts

Select from the following spp.:

Other spp. include the very woolly Lamb's-ear (Stachys byzantina) which is a frequent survivor from gardens

Stachys alpina . . . . Limestone Woundwort

Very rare, at only two sites in the Welsh borders (photos CG Jones)

Stachys arvensis . . . . Field Woundwort

Common and widespread (exc. in N & W Ire and Sc) as an arable weed

Stachys byzantina . . . . Lamb's-ear

Very woolly-white lvs; frequent survivor from gardens

Stachys palustris . . . . Marsh Woundwort

Common in damp places across the BI; lvs narrow, sessile

Stachys sylvatica . . . . Hedge Woundwort

Common in shady woodland and part shade; lvs broader, stalked, cordate

Teucrium . . . . . Germanders

Teucrium chamaedrys . . . . Wall Germander

Shrubby - rare in the wild but grown in gardens

Teucrium scorodonia . . . . Wood Sage

Other rare spp. are T. botrys (Cut-lvd Germander) with v. divided lvs and T. scordium (Water germander)

Thymus . . . . . Thyme

Thymus drucei (was T. polytrichus). . . . Wild Thyme

Common throughout BI

Other spp. include T. pulegioides (Large Thyme) with larger heads of fls on coarse turf esp. in S & E En, and T. vulgaris (Garden Thyme) with lvs with rolled edges