# great stinging nettle (*Urtica dioica*) The great stinging nettle is a tall plant with green leaves that can sting you if you touch them! It grows in many places and is important for butterflies and other insects. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate - **Snaps:** 3 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![great stinging nettle](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Brennnessel_1.JPG&width=800) Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brennnessel_1.JPG) ## Appearance The great stinging nettle is a tall, upright plant with square-ish green stems and heart-shaped or oval leaves, all covered in tiny stinging hairs. It produces small, greenish-white flowers that hang in drooping clusters from late spring. Its vibrant green foliage often forms dense, lush patches. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Rosales - **Family:** Urticaceae - **Genus:** Urtica ## Interesting facts - Ancient people once wove surprisingly strong cloth from nettle fibers, just like linen! - Historically, people used cooked nettles as a healthy spring tonic or even medicine! - Where great stinging nettles grow tall, it often means the soil is super rich and healthy! - You can extract green or yellow dyes from nettle leaves to color fabrics naturally! ## Special abilities - **Sting Defender:** The great stinging nettle has hollow, needle-like hairs on its leaves and stems that inject irritating chemicals to defend against munching animals. - **Underground Spreader:** The great stinging nettle can spread rapidly using underground stems called rhizomes, helping it colonize new areas and resist being pulled up. - **Nutrient Magnet:** The great stinging nettle can gather lots of nutrients, especially nitrogen, from the soil, allowing it to grow big and strong in rich environments. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 60-150 cm - **Spread:** 30-100 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.1-0.3 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late spring to early fall - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Wind ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Small Tortoiseshell](https://www.snappit.app/explore/small-tortoiseshell) (*Aglais urticae*) — larvae feed on leaves - **Eaten by:** [Red Admiral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-admiral) (*Vanessa atalanta*) — caterpillars munch on leaves - **Eaten by:** Snout Moth (*Hypena proboscidalis*) — larvae feed exclusively on nettle ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Spiky/Thorny](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spiky-thorny): Possessing sharp, pointed projections or spines on the body or surface. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate Be careful not to touch the leaves, as they can sting your skin. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify great stinging nettle? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is great stinging nettle? 60-150 cm ### How wide does great stinging nettle spread? 30-100 cm ### How big are the flowers on great stinging nettle? 0.1-0.3 cm ### When does great stinging nettle bloom? Late spring to early fall ### Is great stinging nettle edible? Yes ### Is great stinging nettle toxic? Mild ### What is great stinging nettle's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Newburgh Colored Burial Ground](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/newburgh-colored-burial-ground) — New York, US · Historic District - [Skandinavisk Dyrepark](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/skandinavisk-dyrepark) — Central Denmark Region, DK · Zoo - [Wildpark Bruderhaus](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/wildpark-bruderhaus) — Zurich, CH · Zoo [View all places to see great stinging nettle](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/great-stinging-nettle) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Great Stinging Nettle: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-stinging-nettle)