red deadnettle

red dead-nettle is supposed to be very common, but perhaps due to changes in farming practices it is not that common locally. Like many common "weeds" it has a fascinating and complex flower, with an upper hooded lip, and a deeply notched lower lid with darker markings. In the old days (many many years ago) it was boiled and eaten as a pot herb, and used to make pig swill. It was also used to treat scrofula, the King's evil, a form of subcutaneous tuberculosis.