Downy hemp-nettle

Galeopsis segetum, the downy hemp-nettle, is an erect annual herb of the Lamiaceae native to western and central Europe, where it occurs as a weed of arable fields, sandy fallows, and disturbed sandy soils. It grows 20-60 cm tall on simple or sparingly branched, four-angled stems that, unlike many other species in the genus, are uniformly slender (not swollen at the nodes) and densely clothed in soft, silky, downward-pointing hairs. The opposite leaves are ovate to lanceolate, 3-7 cm long, with coarsely toothed margins, a tapered base, and the same soft pubescence on both surfaces, giving the foliage a velvety appearance. Pale sulfur-yellow, two-lipped flowers 2-3 cm long are borne in dense whorls in the upper leaf axils through summer, the lower lip marked with darker yellow lines on the central lobe. Nutlets are small, ovoid, and triquetrous. The species is declining in much of its range owing to changes in arable practice.