Hemp Nettle.Galeopsis Tetrahit.
Found in waste places, from July to September.
The stalk grows to be 1 or 2 feet high; it is branching, and 4-angled, and swollen beneath the joints; coarse in fibre, and thickly covered by stout bristle-like hairs. In color dark green, or dull purplish-red at the joints.
The long-pointed oval leaf is many ribbed, with a coarsely notched margin, thin but coarse texture, and roughened by hairs. Its color is dull green, lighter underneath. The leaves, on their hairy reddish stems, grow in pairs which spring at right angles to each other.
The small tubular corolla spreads into 2 divisions, the upper being erect and arched, the lower 3-cleft with a slightly heart-shaped middle lobe; its color is pink or lavender. The 4 stamens stand erect under the upper lip. The hairy, green calyx is bell-shaped, with 5 bristling points. The flowers are set (supported by tiny hairy bracts) in whorls, in the angles of the upper leaves.
A large variety,G. grandiflora, is often found in the same localities; the difference lies in the larger size of the corolla, which is clear white in color prettily marked with purple on its lower lip, and in the rounder shape of the calyx. Both plants are unpleasant to the touch because of their harsh bristle-like hairs.