Nettle Identification

Both stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and wood nettle (Laportea canadensis) are tasty and nutritious spring-time wild edibles, but how do you tell them apart? More importantly, how do you distinguish them from non-edible look alikes? Watch this video to find out!
Please note: when I say "non-edible" I do not mean poisonous! I simply mean that clearweeds and false nettle are generally considered unpalatable. However, apparently some people eat them, so feel free to try them if you wish!
Another note: I no longer believe that drying destroys cystoliths, but I also don't think they present any danger to most people. (In fact, it seems like they're a great source of calcium!) See this article for more info: www.fourseason...
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[@houzbizness303]

I'm in Sweden. I've probably been eating wood nettle and stinging nettle without really paying much attention. I do know everything I've been picking stings, so I assume I'm eating what is edible. I actually started eating this as a replacement for spinach and kale after losing my job during the pandemic. With a very tight economy even saving a few kronor can make a difference, and I didn't want to stop eating the healthy greens :) So free and healthy.

[@scottward1002]

Great information can you share how you cook it do you just sauté it in oil thank you

[@houzbizness303]

@@scottward1002 I wash it well, I leave it in water for a while and rinse it off well. I let it dry off on a kitchen towl. Then I just cook the leaves in water, bring to boil and let it cook for a few minutes, maybe with little salt. Exactly like spinach. Mostly though I just throw it in raw in a smoothie. It seems to freeze quite well. Early summer here and I still pick the top few leaves and think they are good.

[@fourseasonforaging]

Yes, nettle is a great free and nutritious food!

[@nickotasla3091]

😉👍🏡

[@johngraham-lg1cr]

Trying to find fresh nettleis difficult JG

[@BethMello]

Very informative tutorial. Your explanations and visuals make distinguishing between these plants very clear and doable. Thanks for sharing!

[@tyronesmith8305]

Thank you very much. I'm new to foraging and have noticed all of these and became unsure of what to harvest for tea. This video helped tremendously and I feel much more confident. I also have recently harvested during flowering and I dried them well before freezing, lucky for me, I didn't know about the change after flowering stage.

[@brendametube]

Wow! What an excellent tutorial! I cannot begin to thank you enough. So many leave me doubting and so concerned about making a mistake with a look alike…but I absolutely have no concerns of misidentifying anything now. I feel empowered and I really appreciate you!

[@fourseasonforaging]

Aw, thanks so much for your kind words!

[@ovulatinggrashopper4703]

Thank you soooo much for this in depth explanation! I live in NY and clearweed is everywhere and I'm happy to know the difference now. I appreciate this so much because it's tricky when so many plants look alike.

[@fourseasonforaging]

Yay, glad it helped!

[@DeturaArizona]

Came to the comments to basically say the same as many other comments. Thank you for the in depth description and side by side comparison to the look alike. I’m only just beginning to forage and nettle is one I haven’t tried yet. I think I found it yesterday while hiking so now I feel confident in going back out today to ID. Great video!

[@fourseasonforaging]

Thank you so much!

[@haana-siksiksammurtok-lava3761]

My ears perked up when you pronounced Nunavut correctly! A very small inner dance happened at that moment 😃

[@fourseasonforaging]

Good to know I pronounced it correctly! I wasn’t sure 😅

[@matthewsnow6317]

Just started learning about foraging last night, stinging nettle was the first plant I heard about. This morning, I found a stinging nettle plant but wasn't 100% sure. The observations you made about the plants and the differences between similar families was so awesome and now I'm confident that I did find a stinging nettle. Thanks for passing on the knowledge and looking forward to checking out some of your other videos!

[@fourseasonforaging]

You’re welcome! I’m glad my video was helpful. I’m excited for you to start your foraging journey! 🌿

[@TheOaken1]

Thank you, very well done, good comparison between the Nettles and look similar plants. Excellent detail

[@fourseasonforaging]

Thank you! :)

[@CasperCarver]

Great video! I live in eastern Idaho and the nettle here is very painful and lasts for hours.

[@fourseasonforaging]

Oh wow! I'm glad to have mild-mannered nettles. :)

[@ronv6637]

Thank you, just what I needed. Watched another video about firestarting and the stinging nettle was the only plant(some rare fungi excepted) that could be used as a tinder,must be the oils are volitile. NowI know it is also a food source- multipurpose rocks!

[@fourseasonforaging]

Wonderful!

[@td9933]

Thank you kindly for your informative identifications!

[@fourseasonforaging]

You're welcome 😊

[@LadyoftheFarm]

Thank you for this- you were so thorough and I just loved watching…all the comparisons…🙏😊🌿

[@fourseasonforaging]

Glad to hear it was helpful! 😊

[@StarTrekNow]

Very clear, detailed identification of the edible plants. Thanks for sharing 😋🍷👍

[@ShinyStickEC]

Very nice I like how you were able to find the look a likes too! great vid

[@fourseasonforaging]

Thank you!

[@bettinacampbell871]

I really enjoyed your video you went into some very useful detail that others don’t always share & I like that you were quick and to the point ❤️

[@fourseasonforaging]

Thank you! :)

[@savage22bolt32]

@@fourseasonforaging Constructive criticism: lose the background noise. The subject & your narration of it is great! The addition of distracting, monotonous & annoying music ruined the vid for me.

[@sarahmacdonald1143]

Please Note: Admiral Butterfly caterpillars eat nettles. If you see folded leaves, leave the plant as it is home to an Admiral

[@fourseasonforaging]

Good to know, thanks!

[@DebbieFishell]

I live in Panama and there is a lot of wild wood nettle growing here.

[@mrarce123789]

Very good information, just what I was looking for. Thank you

[@fourseasonforaging]

Happy to hear it!

[@frankdougherty3233]

Very helpful, very informative, very needed. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!!

[@fourseasonforaging]

You're welcome! :)

[@LionsHoney13]

that is subspecies gracillis stinging nettle

[@frederickavugara1699]

This is very clearly explained! Thank you lots. Lots of Wood Nettle grow very commonly in Nigeria. They can be seen almost everywhere during the rainy season unlike the stinging nettle. Many people do not know about these plants in this part of the world. Please can I get the seeds of the stinging nettle so I can cultivate them. I am interested in producing teas commercially from them. I have personally been using the fresh wood nettle as tea especially during this COVID19 period. What is the best way to dry these leaves without losing their nutrients?

[@fourseasonforaging]

To dry, I usually just put the leaves in a paper bag that I cut many slits into. Then I put the bag in front of a fan and shake it several times a day. As you probably know, you want them to be completely dry or they may sting you when you handle them!

[@eattheweedsandotherthings]

Amazing here in the Philippines Laportea interrupta are pretty common but Urtica dioica are scarce nowadays.

[@TheUnhousedWanderer]

I recently found some stinging nettles almost 6ft tall. They're growing by a ton of wild onions, like they're just waiting to be eaten lol

[@julieth3699]

Really helpful video! Thanks for sharing.

[@fourseasonforaging]

Happy to help! 😊

[@birdman6499]

Great video.

[@fourseasonforaging]

Thank you!

[@ivebeenthere2115]

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.

[@fourseasonforaging]

You're welcome! :)

[@roam2]

Wow didn't know the sting was medicinal, great video thx=]

[@fourseasonforaging]

Thanks for your kind words! :)

[@hardwatercamper]

Great information in your video. Thank you. I'm currently drinking a stinging nettle tea with violet syrup as a sweetener.

[@fourseasonforaging]

Yummy!!

[@winettou9]

Excellent video and thank you for sharing!

[@fourseasonforaging]

Thanks for your kind words! :)

[@honeybee2356]

Thank you so much. It seems as most false nettle has a mossy spike.

[@fourseasonforaging]

It does look that way!

[@lonceysvideos333]

Wow cheers so much I appreciate this video I will try and get here in Australia

[@fourseasonforaging]

Good luck and happy foraging!

[@manugoo1283]

Thank you very much for this beautiful info on nettles. Can you please share the author of background music!? Thank in advance!

[@fourseasonforaging]

No problem! The credits are at the very end of the video (starting at 13:48) :)

[@lvncsr6166]

really great information. TFS

[@fourseasonforaging]

Glad it was helpful!

[@karenextine7101]

Thank you..now I know which plant is stinging me when I mow at the bottom of my yard!

[@fourseasonforaging]

Ha, glad I could help!

[@TheMaddyShow]

The first nettle u showed we have in Washington too

[@fourseasonforaging]

Great! One of the nice things about nettle is how widespread it is. :)

[@asusanoailyn8224]

I think this is saluyot in Philippines name, this is very nutritional vegetables in our country, ❤️👌🇵🇭

[@fourseasonforaging]

That’s great!

[@stephenrichards5386]

I don't hear you say why I need to identify the nettles

[@michelleasunnydays140]

the nettle one showing allthe alternate thinhs is confusing. not sure which onesare which

[@obiecastro2482]

I said ,,,,salamat in Philippines,,great explnation

[@LallgiePersaud]

Thanks for the imformation 👌👌👌

[@fourseasonforaging]

Always welcome

[@wherami]

quite impressive video there

[@fourseasonforaging]

Thank you!

[@abigailshetler957]

I have such a hard time finding stinging nettle hear in Missouri.

[@malowcat]

Can you please provide some information about white snake root nettle that is very similar to stinging nettle ?

[@fourseasonforaging]

This is the only white snakeroot that I know of, but it's not related to nettle: www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/white-snakeroot. It is poisonous and should not be consumed.

[@ellenlane6369]

I have not been able to find it on the property.

[@azaz2784]

What about laportea intterrupta, is it edible too?

[@jgpainting8815]

I heard stinging nettles is good for arthritis. Topically

[@fourseasonforaging]

I've heard the same thing! I've actually tried it, haha - not sure how effective it is :)

[@BosomBuddyCreations]

I read that clearweed and false nettle is edible. Conflicting info?? can you clarify?

[@fourseasonforaging]

Yup, some sources list it as edible! I don't mean that it's toxic, just that it's unpalatable. But feel free to try it for yourself!

[@AChrivia]

I seriously need to know in what specific ways are these plants processed and used for nerve damage as I have it badly and am willing to try anything that might cure it after almost 10 years... Please elaborate further on this. The information is greatly needed. Thank you.

[@fourseasonforaging]

As an anti-inflammatory, nettle has shown some potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases. See this article as an example: www.jni-journal.com/article/S0165-5728(14)00594-3/pdf#relatedArticles. Unfortunately I don't have any details on how to use it for such purposes.

[@ronzellewis7060]

So Are there DIFFERENT KINDS OF STIÑNING nettle

[@fourseasonforaging]

Well, according to the USDA plants database, there are different subspecies of stinging nettle in the US: plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=URDI. But I've also read arguments from taxonomists that they're just variations of the same species. So the answer is, who knows??

[@dean-isa-fool2191]

Nice video. I found something that looked like stinging nettle as you described it here and could even see some pointy hairs but couldn't feel any sting at all. Would that make you worry about misidentification or is that normal?

[@fourseasonforaging]

That's pretty normal where I live in Minnesota. However, as I mentioned in the video, there are a few look alikes that don't sting. I'm not aware of any dangerous look alikes, though, so you're probably fine to try it! Here's more identification info in case you want to double-check: www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/stinging-nettle

[@heatherpoirier5199]

Very confused. Your video says clear nettle is non edible, yet Google, other KZbinrs say it is edible and had medicinal values. Can you tell me where you learned it is inedible so I may search those facts

[@fourseasonforaging]

Hello Heather! Yes, the confusion lies in the term "non-edible." As I note above, when I say "non-edible" I do not mean poisonous! I simply mean that clearweeds and false nettle are generally considered unpalatable. However, apparently some people eat them, so feel free to try them if you wish!

[@johnlombardo7816]

Curious. I have some near me in NY that also doesnt seem to have any or much sting.. where are you located ? Is it possible to have little to no sting? Where is the sting only the stem? Any help is appreciated, I have been trying to identify it for weeks and all the guides point to stinging nettle but I touch the leaf and nothing, and I dont notice any sharp stingers on the stem either but not 100 % on that

[@fourseasonforaging]

I live in Minnesota, and the stinging nettle here is definitely tame for the most part. I usually just pick it without gloves on. But it is a bit strange that it doesn't sting you at all- there should be at least a few stinging hairs. Are you sure it's not a false nettle or a clearweed?

[@justinkemps9620]

It’s probably false nettle. The sting in both wood and stinging nettle is extremely noticeable and can cause a severe rash.

[@fourseasonforaging]

@@justinkemps9620 Stinging nettle isn't always super sting-y. In my area I harvest it without gloves and rarely get stung. You can see me handling it with bare hands in the video. So there's a chance that the plant John is asking about is stinging nettle. However, as I said, there should be *some* stinging hairs on it. Most of them will be on the stem or the underside of the leaf.

[@BettyJC2010]

I just researched false nettle, which is what i have growing up my yard. It has benefits also . But i haven't tried it yet. ​@justinkemps9620

[@alexblue6991]

With my luck the police might think it was cannabis I had

[@fourseasonforaging]

Lol, let's hope not!

[@tracycouture3955]

Great video, thank you 🌱 I'm trying to find information on hemp nettle without any luck ☹ If you have any insight into identifying hemp nettle I would very much appreciate. ❤

[@fourseasonforaging]

www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/brittlestem-hemp-nettle

[@rhondal.vikingpride8138]

the sting in san diego an riverside .im actually on pala ind rez an man it STINGS BAD.

[@fourseasonforaging]

Yikes! Yeah, it definitely varies from place to place.

[@cheaveasna2654]

I knew the cat likes eat this Herb especially the roots.

[@lauralowery9303]

What is clear weed? Do you know anything beneficial about branched noseburn? Thanks!

[@lyndas2767]

1.5 or 2x speed for this one!

[@donutsupreme5017]

I found some wood nettles that have stinging spikes, the alternate leaves look the same as in your video. One concern is they dont grow in patches. Some of them grow in small cluster of no more than 10 plants at a spot, most of them are by themselves and are about 3 to 5 ft apart. Is there any look alike that i should be aware of? They are about a foot tall now. Thanks in advance

[@fourseasonforaging]

Hi there, the only look alikes I know of are the ones I go over in the video. If it stings you and matches the identification characteristics I outline, then it's probably wood nettle! They don't always grow in big patches. Good luck and happy foraging!

[@HenryDexter-jf6rn]

Lake thonotosassa,Florida

[@Mikeocxlong]

Can you eat dwarf nettle?

[@fourseasonforaging]

Yes, it is closely related to stinging nettle and can be used the same way. I've never personally found it or eaten though!

[@lotharschoebel2646]

Are the false nettle and clearweed toxic or poisonous?

[@fourseasonforaging]

Nope! And some people like them, so you can give them a try if you want

[@MoniMeka]

So you were not hurt by the stinging nettle? You are touching it without gloves. 😳

[@fourseasonforaging]

Yup, the ones in my area aren't very stingy! I often harvest them without gloves. Wood nettle is another story though - those are very painful!!

[@pagadorofficial9157]

in our country..idont think if it's stinging nettle.but it's medium tree..it's called alinggatong..hope you have a vlog for this thankyou..

[@iheartherbs]

You sound so unthrilled in this video, lol. I met stinging nettle trying to pull her up out of the ground weeding, ouch!

[@stevenbranyon4011]

Does stinging nettle cure voice fry? Asking for a friend.

[@fourseasonforaging]

Lol! I wouldn't try it!

[@rhondal.vikingpride8138]

and its low on ground .well starys

[@newstart49]

Confusing. Can't understand what you are directing too. Speak up and speak clearer. Thanks.

[@ewoutnieuwland2450]

Those plants you call woodnettle are Gympie Gympies. The most painful green human can ever find on the planet. There are even humans who committed suïcide because of the pain... Be careful with those innocent looking Gympie Gympies!

[@fourseasonforaging]

No, it's wood nettle (Laportea canadensis). The plant you're describing doesn't even grow in the US.

[@ewoutnieuwland2450]

@@fourseasonforaging okay, it looked like a Gympie Gympie to me. Thanks

[@theaustinsdarlin]

Ummm…. Um.,,, ummm um… um. Thank you. Um and … umm. Like…anyway.. so.. like ..and… ummm and and like um… you know.. and … like.. so! ok. Good 👍 information. And. um. More info. Yes. And um.

[@corleenproulx6314]

Good info but voice kind of droney & tiresome.

[@kooale]

Oh piss off, how rude!

[@kooale]

p,s. I think you have a rather soothing & beautiful voice. Took copious notes so that I can avoid getting stung in the garden this season. Many thanks, great detailed shots too.

[@oliviaglass3843]

Too many hmmmms ….get to the point

[@rvrandy1710]

Is it possible to get a anaphylactic reaction to the plant ? 🪴

[@fourseasonforaging]

Not that I know of, but it might be worth looking into!

[@anniebrown363]

Yes you can if you're allergic to it. Try stinging nettle first as it helps with allergies then go for the nettle.

[@rvrandy1710]

@@anniebrown363 thank Annie 😊

[@rvrandy1710]

@@fourseasonforaging thanks 😊

[@ryanmozert]

​@@anniebrown363 dried?