henbit

English

henbit stalk and flowers (Lamium amplexicaule)

Etymology

First attested in 1578. Calque of Dutch hoenderbeet; by surface analysis, hen +‎ bit (past participle of bite; bitten).

Cognate with Middle Low German hennebit and German Hühnerbiss; all likely derived from Medieval Latin Morsus gallinae, the ancestor of Italian mordigallina, French morgeline and obsolete English margeline.

See also chickweed.

Noun

henbit (plural henbits)

1. Lamium amplexicaule, an annual herb with pink or purple flowers and deeply crenate leaves.

   Synonyms: henbit deadnettle, common henbit, greater henbit

   • 1586, Henry Lyte, Rembert Dodoens, A new herball, or, Historie of plants : wherein is contained the whole discourse and perfect description of all sorts of herbes and plants […] ‎^[1], Ninian Newton, page 100:

     The fourth kind (called of the base Almaignes Hoenderbeet) that is to say, Henbit, hath many round and hairie stems. The leaves be somewhat round, hairie, and a little snipt or jagged about the edges, otherwise not much unlike the leaves of great Chickweede. The floures be blew or purple, and do bring foorth^[sic] small close knappes or huskes, in which is inclosed the seede.

   • 1996, Barbara Pleasant, The Gardener's Weed Book: Earth-safe Controls, Storey Publishing, →ISBN, page 80:

     Henbit typically sprouts in fall, after the soil has been cultivated following the removal of summer plants. It grows well in partial shade or full sun and is considered an indicator of rich, moisture-holding soil.

1. (by extension) Other species of plant that resemble L. amplexicaule, especially related species of deadnettle in the genus Lamium.

Derived terms

• common henbit
• garden henbit
• greater henbit
• red henbit
• small henbit
• spotted henbit
• white henbit
• yellow henbit

Translations

Lamium amplexicaule

• Catalan: flor robí m, galleret m, mataporc m, tinya negra f
• Finnish: sepopeippi (fi), sepiväpeippi (fi)
• Hungarian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: jasnota różowa f
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can
• Scottish Gaelic: caoch-dheanntag chearc f
• Spanish: ortiga mansa f

References

• henbit on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Lamium amplexicaule on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:Lamium amplexicaule on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons