Japanese nettle is a stinging nettle of moist East Asian mountain forests, native to Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan. It doesn't grow wild in the United States; the nettle most Americans know is stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). It is also called hairy nettle.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A perennial herb about 16–32 in (40–80 cm) tall, with upright, square, ridged stems covered in stinging hairs.
- Leaves
- Opposite, egg-shaped leaves 2–6 in (5–15 cm) long, with coarse, often double-toothed edges and long stalks.
- Flowers
- Tiny flowers in spikes from the leaf joints; female spikes sit above the male ones on the same plant.
- Fruit
- A tiny, dry, single-seeded fruit ().
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Moist mountain forests
- Forest edges
- Range
- Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan. It does not grow wild in the United States.
Cautions
- Cautions
- The hairs cause pain, redness, burning, or itching, usually for a few hours, though some people feel it for a day or two. A study of this species in Taiwan found that the long-lasting pain comes mainly from oxalic acid and tartaric acid in the hairs, not formic acid as long assumed.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- In Taiwan, the leaves are boiled to remove the sting and used in soups, breads, and fried snacks.
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