General: Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica spp. holosericea) is a perennial forb that grows as an upright, spindly subshrub with opposite leaves. The leaves generally are lanceolate with serrate margins, and the leaf veins are prominent. Flowers are borne in dense axillary inflorescences. Leaves and stems are covered with long, stiff hairs.

Some of the stiff hairs are hollow and contain various irritating chemicals. When touched, these hairs (called trichomes) may penetrate the skin, break open, and release the chemicals, producing a burning sensation.

Family: Nettle (Urticaceae)

The plant has a long history of use as medicine and food.

Stinging nettle is an uncommon component of vegetation communities in moist mountain areas (i.e., at creeks and springs) in the Transition (Yellow Pine Forest), Canadian (Pine-Fir Forest), and Hudsonian (Bristlecone Pine Forest) life zones.

Around Las Vegas, look for stinging nettle around springs and other wet places up on Mt. Charleston. For example, the trail through the Fletcher Spring area is full of stinging nettle.