ID this plant, please?

December 25, 2014 6:02 PM

Hello! Can you ID this plant for me?

posted by film to Science & Nature (7 answers total)

Response by poster: Ack, link: pic
posted by film at 6:04 PM on December 25, 2014

Best answer: It looks like some kind of nettle (link to google image search).
posted by AnnaRat at 6:36 PM on December 25, 2014

Best answer: I agree: nettle
posted by oneirodynia at 7:35 PM on December 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'm in SoCal and I have that plant, stinging nettle, in my backyard.
posted by bolognius maximus at 9:10 PM on December 25, 2014

Best answer: Yup, nettle. Harvest with dish gloves on, blanch in boiling water, and make creamed nettles or a bunch of other things.
posted by librarina at 12:09 AM on December 26, 2014

Best answer: And if you do rub it against your skin somewhere and the burning begins, if you can cut the plant off at the root or just above you can use the sap that's inside the stem and root to soothe the burning from the nettle needles. Cool, huh?

Nasty nettles. Remove or consume, but don't pet them.
posted by aryma at 12:58 AM on December 26, 2014

Best answer: Yep, that's a stinging nettle. The young shoots are tastier than the older ones and can be used in the place of spinach in many dishes. It's where the phrase "grasp the nettle" comes from.

If you want to get rid of it, get rid of the roots too. It looks like you only have a single specimen right now, but that can change quickly. Use a glyphosate based weedkiller.
posted by Solomon at 1:48 AM on December 26, 2014