HEBERLING LAB

Find this specimen here:
​http://midatlanticherbaria.org/portal/collections/individual/index.php?occid=1235336

​Spontaneous mints in your backyard
 
This specimen of purple dead-nettle  (Lamium purpureum) was collected on April 17, 1998 by Kevin McGowan and Meggan Scanlon near Settler’s Cabin County Park in Oakdale, PA on property that is now the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden.  As seen in the title of the specimen label, it was collected as part of a biological survey for the planning of the site, a large ongoing restoration of the formerly mined property.
 
Purple dead-nettle is probably in your backyard. Or if not, you likely don’t have to go far to find it in a lawn or sidewalk crack.   Some call it a “weed.” Or, in the case of in your lawn, “spontaneous vegetation” is a lighter hearted term. It is native to Europe and Asia but now widespread across the world, including North America.
 
Purple dead-nettle is not related to stinging nettle, despite the name.   It was named “dead-nettle” because is reminiscent to nettles (well, at least to whoever came up with the common name) but does  not have stinging hairs.
 
Purple dead-nettle is in the mint family (Lamiaceae) with square stems often characteristic of mints.  Try rolling the stem between your fingers and you’ll notice the square stems.
 
The City Nature Challenge is just around the corner (April 24-27)! The City Nature Challenge is a global event where cities come together to share the biodiversity seen in their urban areas. Your nature sightings are shared through the free community science platform, iNaturalist. If you have never used iNaturalist, the City Nature Challenge is a great way to introduce yourself to iNaturalist.  You’ll be hooked.
 
Past years have been (friendly) competitions among cities, competing for the most observations or species. But given the current pandemic, this year is different.  It is not about the number of observations you make. It is a celebration of nature, wherever you can safely be this year...which for most, is your backyard!  Or the sidewalk near your house. Or the parking lot. Or a local park. Or maybe even inside your house.
 
Keep a look out for purple dead-nettle.  You won’t have to go far!
 
Last year’s City Nature Challenge Pittsburgh 2019, this species was the 9th most observed species!
 
Or if you can’t safely be outside, you can view other observations on iNaturalist.org at any time!  You can help identify photos or just click around and go for a virtual botanical hike around Pittsburgh!
 
Or look online at Carnegie Museum’s 185 herbarium specimens of purple dead nettle, going back to 1826 in England! (though this one hasn’t yet been imaged).    Or this one growing 138 years ago collected in Beaver county.
 
However you can, there are plenty of ways to participate and connect with nature while staying safe!

​When in candy cane form, it is easy to forget where the flavor came from.  Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is actually a hybrid between two other mint species, water mint (Mentha aquatica) and spearmint (Mentha spicata).  It is commonly grown for food or medicinal herb in gardens.  It is also well known to escape garden settings and spread aggressively.  Like other mints, this species is in the plant family Lamiaceae, which includes many strongly scented kitchen herbs.  Members of the mint family are well recognized by their unique flowers and characteristically square stems.
 
This peppermint specimen was collected on August 29, 1965 by Norman R. Farnsworth in an open field at Ranalli’s Drive-In, eight miles north of Etna off Route 8, outside of Pittsburgh, PA.
 
Farnsworth (1930-2011) received his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh, where he researched medicinal plants.  He was an influential professor and researcher in the field of pharmacognosy (study of medicinal drugs derived from plants).  He was a founding member of the American Society of Pharmacognosy.
 
The Carnegie Museum herbarium includes 1,108 specimens collected by Farnsworth.  Each specimen is quickly recognizable, with an envelope attached to each sheet that includes a standard typed description of the results of chemical screenings he did on the specimen.

Hopefully you have some peppermint that is fresher than than this for your recipes this year!