Between the rows of root crops, in stubble fields, in hedgerows, and by the wayside grows the poor relation of the popular garden pansies, the Field Pansy. This herb, mostly annual, is virtually indestructible.

Red Dead- nettle forms large masses, sometimes in spreading carpets. The prostrate stems root readily, particularly during lengthy damp spells. It is in fact a moisture-loving plant that grows vigorously and multiplies mainly in spring, and there may be as many as two or three generations in a single year.

In drier situations or at higher altitudes it is an annual, but in lowland country with mild winters it easily survives the cold season and is one of the first plants to bloom in early spring. The flowers appear as early as March and, quickly attracting the attentions of the honey-bee, are borne in succession until October. Flowering continues even in very cold weather although they do not always open fully (in which case the plant is self-pollinating).

Red Dead-nettle is a low-growing, prostrate, or upright plant branching from the ground. The upper stem leaves as well as the stem itself are sometimes violet. The rose-coloured corolla tube, unlike that of Spotted Dead-nettle (L. maculatum), is straight. The fruit, a spotted nutlet with yellowish flesh is a favourite food of ants who thus help disperse the plant.

Unlike other related species, Groundsel does not have rayed flowerheads. Instead the flowerheads are composed of tubular florets that are narrowly cylindrical, closed, and in cold weather often do not even open but still manage to bear fruits. In this event Groundsel solves the problem by self-pollination.

The leaves vary from deeply lobed to pinnatifid, have a winged rachis, and are bright green in colour. The lower ones arc sessile and lobed. The down is gleaming white, glossy, and several times longer than the achene. The flowering period begins in March and new flowering specimens may be found until November or December unless there is a snowfall or frost.