Identifying Stinging Nettle: The "Velcro Vine" with a Painful Bite

Bright green, sprawling stems covered in tiny stinging hairs that cause immediate bee-sting-like pain on contact—this describes stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), a perennial that spreads via rhizomes and stolons, not a true vine.

Key Identification Features

• Opposite, serrated, heart-shaped leaves
• Stems and leaf undersides densely covered with hollow, silica-tipped trichomes
• Trichomes inject histamine, formic acid, and other irritants on contact
• Forms dense colonies via underground runners
• Inconspicuous greenish flower clusters in leaf axils

Management

Wear thick gloves and long sleeves for removal. Dig out rhizomes completely—fragments regenerate. Mowing repeatedly weakens colonies. Herbicides (glyphosate) work on actively growing plants. Stinging nettle is edible when cooked (neutralizes sting) and supports butterfly larvae, so consider retaining a patch in a wild area.

Soapy water relieves stings; baking soda paste or antihistamine cream reduces lingering irritation.