Note from the Author: This is an update on a weed I’ve covered a few times with the earliest mention being in 201, then 2015, 2020 and then in the earliest format of the weed files on March 4th 2022. This go around all information is getting updated and you will have a far superior edible weed file to look at with more pictures.
In the garden, chances are you will find established clumps of henbit hiding under shrubs. 
Here is a closeup of the leaf and the flower head. Note how up close to the flower the leaves have no petioles. 
This one is just busting out all over! This may be a singular plant or several growing together really well. 
Henbit is no stranger to jailbreaks, this one refuses to be governed by the oppressive raised bed stone work.
Common Name: Henbit
Other Common Names: Deadnettle, Greater Henbit, Henbit Dead-Nettle,
Botanical Family: Lamiaceae (The Mint Family)
Botanical Latin Name: Lamium amplexcaule
Description & Habitat: Henbit in the urban environment is commonly found in lawns, yards, potted plants, and any place where there is decent but moist soil. It is a cool-season annual weed that falls apart by late spring unless it is growing in a shady spot where to does not overheat or dry out. Henbit has opposite pairs of leaves on square stems that have petioles near the base of the plant but leaves have less petiole the longer the stem is. Often near the flowering tops leaves will fully clasp the stem. Leaves will have an irregular margin that looks as if it’s been pecked leading to the name Henbit. Chickens prefer this plant as a food source so it can be valuable in providing forage greens for them in the winter and spring. Henbit is also quite useful in preventing erosion and providing nectar and pollen to bees early in the year before a lot of other plants are actively growing. The purple flowers of this plant are quite pretty and can give a lawn area a neat purple haze.
When & What to Harvest: The leaves, stems and flowers are all equally edible raw or cooked, but try to harvest early or they might get a little bit fibrous.
Non-Dangerous Lookalikes: It can sometimes be mistaken for Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) which is in the minty family and also edible.
Edible Related Plants: Purple Archangel (Lamium purpureum) or Yellow Archangel (L. galebdolon)
Similar Dangerous Species: None are known.
Recipe:
Curried Henbit*
4 Cups of Henbit foliage tightly packed.
3 Tablespoons of butter
1 Teaspoon Curry Powder (the basic brown type)
2 Whole Cloves
¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons of Flour
1 Cup of Sour Cream
Directions
1. Wash the greens thoroughly with warm water; keep an eye out for foreign debris and dirt.
2. Chop the greens finely and add to a Saucepan and cover the greens with water.
3. Boil the greens for about 10 minutes or until they are soft enough for your preference.
4. Separately melt the butter.
5. Add the Curry powder, Cloves and Cinnamon to the melted Butter.
6. Stir the Flour into the butter mixture and stir until smooth and sauce-like.
7. Add ½ cup of water from the cooked greens to the butter mixture and stir until blended.
8. Drain the remaining fluid from the cooked greens and add the greens to the butter mixture.
9. Add the Sour Cream and stir until the consistency is even.
10. Simmer to cook off extra moisture (no more than 15 minutes)
11. Serve over Basmati rice, with baked chicken breasts.
*This recipe is based off the one found in Field Guide To North American Edible Wild Plants’ by Thomas S. Elias and Peter A. Dykeman. On page 116.
Additional Information: (If applicable)
https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/henbit
Where to get seed or Bare Root Plants:
I was unable to locate a source for this plant’s seeds.
With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog. In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.
For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.
Fresh Foods:
Soup Kit – Parsnip
Soup Kit – Turnip
Turnips
Parsnips
Onions
Celery
Potatoes
Garlic Bulbs
Oyster Mushrooms
Soil Amendment Products:
Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*
Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag
Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag
Carolina Gold, Enhanced Potting Soil – 1 Gallon Bag
Houseplants:
Abutilon
Aloe, American
Begonia, Sindbad
Cuban Oregano, Large Leaf
Hoan Ngoc
Pothos, Cebu Blue
Rose Campion
Selaginella
Solanum uleanum
Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing
Swiss Cheese Plant
*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.
How to stay in Contact with Us!
All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.
Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville
Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:
The Videos: Look Here
>Newest videos (1): Winter 2025
Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is January 25th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
Chickweed is a cool season annual herb that is native to Eurasia and North Africa but has naturalized in North America. Most garden guides and or lawn care manuals consider it a weed which is a bit ridiculous since it falls apart when the temperatures rise in late spring or early summer. Chickweed reproduces mainly by seed and will reappear in outdoor potted plants year after year if given the chance. However Chickweed can reproduce vegetatively by rooting at the stem nodes where they contact soil. Chickweed originally gets its name because it was and still is used as a food source for Chickens who prefer it over other wild greens. In the urban landscape you will find it growing in with lawns, in pots or containers and it may appear under shrubs, between the cracks in cement and almost anywhere there is reasonably good moist soil. Chickweed is also called Starweed because of its five deeply divided petals making its tiny white flowers look a lot like little white stars. Chickweed has teardrop to elliptical shaped leaves in opposite configuration. This plant also has a very shallow root system does not form tubers and whole plants can be easily harvested. If you are planning to grow this plant know that it responds to fertilizer with extra lush leafy growth and you can treat it as a cut and come again sort of wild green. Although the NC Invasive Plant council calls this plant invasive it is easily controlled and will die if you shake an herbicide label in its general direction.
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