How to Grow and Care for Urtica

Although the stinging nettle has a variety of uses it is best known for its eponymous sting. It has sharp defensive hairs on its leaves and stems which will release pain-inducing chemicals when touched. Nevertheless, Dorset, England hosts an annual World Nettle Eating Championship, which started with a debate between two farmers over the severity of their nettle infestations. To consume them more safely, stinging nettles must be thoroughly boiled.

Small Nettle (Urtica urens) is a herbaceous annual flowering nettle known by many common names. Small Nettle is also called the dog nettle or burning nettle because it "bites" when touching (in the same way as stinging nettle). Small Nettle is native to the Eurasian continent. Butterfly species feed on this plant.

Membranous nettle (Urtica membranacea) was one of Hippocrates' favorite healing herbs. The plant has a nasty sting for self defense but is edible when cooked. It tastes like spinach and is rich in vitamins and minerals. In the Bronze Age, the Danes wove fabric from nettle fibers, as did other Europeans in later centuries.

Nettles are known for their stinging hairs, and heartleaf nettle is no different. This flowering plant can cause an uncomfortable rash if you happen to brush up against it. It produces small green flowers that attract butterflies, and its fibers can be used to make clothes.

Roman nettle is a flowering plant that is considered a weed in cultivated- and wasteland. Much like other nettle species, it has hairs on its leaves that cause skin irritation when touched. The plant is pollinated by wind, rather than insects.