Fierce-looking perennial with stinging hairs that hide one of the most nutritious wild greens. Young shoots cook into a spinach-like vegetable; mature plant is anti-inflammatory.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 2–9 | −45.6 °C to −1.1 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| RHS hardiness rating | H7 | down to −20 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 2–9 | −40 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 1–5 | −15 °C to 10 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
About Stinging nettle
The nettle sting comes from hollow, brittle hairs that break on contact and inject a mixture of irritant compounds. Cooking or thorough drying destroys the mechanism completely, which is why nettles have a long history as a cooked green and a tea. The plant is also a fibre crop with a history reaching back millennia, producing a linen-like cloth, and it is a key larval food plant for several butterflies, which is why patches are often deliberately left in wildlife gardens. It spreads by tough yellow rhizomes and strongly favours ground that is rich in phosphates and nitrogen — a good indicator of past human activity.
Growing notes
- Wear gloves to harvest — formic acid in the trichomes causes the sting
- Sting deactivates immediately on cooking, drying, or wilting
- Critical host plant for red admiral, peacock, comma, and small tortoiseshell butterfly larvae
- Always consult a qualified medical or herbal practitioner before using any plant medicinally
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