Mint family

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Plants in the mint family, also known as labiates, have square stems. Often they are aromatic and have two-lipped flowers. Many of them are important as nectar sources for bees and other insects.

Two familiar examples are red deadnettle and self-heal, commonly regarded as weeds in gardens or lawns.

Cultivated herbs such as thyme, marjoram and, of course, mint belong to this family, along with their wild cousins such as wild marjoram, wood sage and water mint.

Other attractive examples are yellow archangel, an ancient woodland plant, and betony, a flower of damp meadows.