Rigid Hedge Nettle

Rough Hedge Nettle, Woodmint
Stachys rigida var. rigida
NATIVE

Description (Jepson, PlantID.net)

• Eudicotyledon
  • Eudicots are a major lineage of flowering plants; see family for general characteristics
• Mint Family (Lamiaceae)
• Perennial upright herb
• Whole plant can be hairy and glandular (sticky)
• Stems are square in cross-section
• Leaves
  • Opposite (2 leaves at each junction with stem)
  • Rounded shape (ovate to lanceolate) with toothed margins
  • Leaf venation is prominent on upper surface, appearing cobbled
• Flowers
  • Inflorescence (flower arrangement) is spike-like, with flower clusters arranged in whorls (3 or more flowers at each junction with stem) at the leaf axils (branching points)
  • Bilaterally-symmetric flowers with 5 fused petals, in 2 distinct lips
    • Rounded upper lip of 2 fused, pink petals
    • Large, lower lip of 3 fused petals, pale pink-purple, with darker dots and lines
  • Ovary superior (above the attachment of other flower parts)
• Height to 16 in.

Distribution

• Native to California
  • Grows in shady, dry places in the understory of oak woodlands
  • See Calflora for statewide observations of this plant
• Outside California, grows in Washington, Oregon, and Nevada
• Grows at elevations to 7,670 ft.

Uses (San Mateo County Parks prohibits removal of any natural material)

• Wildlife
  • Nectar source for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
• Native people
  • Tea from the leaves used to treat headaches and sore throats

Name Derivation

• Stachys (STAY-kis) – from the Greek stachus, “ear of grain” or “a spike,” referring to the spike-like arrangement of the flowers
• rigida (RIJ-i-da) – from the Latin for “rigid,” referring to the stiff leaves or hairs
• Hedge nettle – refers to the resemblance of the leaves to those of stinging nettles (Urtica species) in the Nettle family
• Woodmint – used for several members of the genus Stachys, most commonly California hedge nettle (S. bullata), which does not grow at Edgewood

Notes

• Unlike most members of the Mint family, rigid hedge nettle is not aromatic
• The genus Stachys includes the common, non-native garden plants lamb’s ears (S. byzantina) and big betony (S. macrantha)
• Edgewood’s rigid hedge nettle is classified as a variety
  • Variety indicates a population with small morphological variations, e.g. color, seen throughout the geographic range of the species; interbreeding is possible
  • Subspecies indicates a geographically-separated population with distinct morphological characteristics; when not isolated, interbreeding is possible
  • In practice, botanists have not consistently applied these ranks

ID Tips

• May be confused with short-spiked hedge nettle (S. pycnantha)

	Rigid Hedge Nettle	Short-spiked Hedge Nettle
Growth Habit	≤ 16 in.	≤ 20 in.
Stems	green	green
Leaves	rounded (ovate to lanceolate) ⋯ toothed ⋯ ≤ 2 in.	generally lanceolate ⋯ finely toothed ⋯ ≤ 5 in.
Flowers	in whorls at intervals (like a pagoda)	in stout, tIghtly clustered whorls
Habitat	common in oak woodlands	uncommon trailside; in seeps along Clarkia trail

• When not blooming, may be confused with emerging bee plant (Scrophularia californica), which has similar leaves
  • Rigid hedge nettle
    • Leaves are rounded (ovate to lanceolate)
    • Leaf stems are green
  • Bee plant
    • Leaves are triangular
    • Leaf stems are purplish-red, maturing to green

At Edgewood

• Found in woodlands and grasslands
  • See iNaturalist for observations of Stachys rigida
• Flowers April – May

See General References