This naturalized annual was introduced from Europe. The stems are square and purple, up to 12 inches tall. The elongated lavender tube flowers are whorled around the leaf axils (B). Identified by the arrangement, shape and color of the flowers.
Found on field edges and waste areas, flowering in April and May. In Fontenelle Forest, rare at the edge of the fields near the floodplain blind, but massively abundant in cultivated and waste ground nearby. At Neale Woods, common in adjoining fields.
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