Standard English Name(s): stinging nettle
Local English Name(s) (if different from above):
Scientific Name(s): Urtica dioica L.
Upriver Halkomelem Name(s): th'uxhth'uxh
Downriver Halkomelem Name(s): th'uxhthuxh
Island Halkomelem Name(s): th'uxhthuxh

Description, Habitat, Ecology, & Distribution:
      Stinging nettle is a perennial plant that produces tiny, greenish flowers in dense clusters. It is covered with stinging hairs that will cause an irritating rash upon contact. It grows in meadows, thickets, streambanks, open forests, and disturbed sites throughout coastal British Columbia.

Upriver Halkomelem Cultural Role(s):
     The young shoots are gathered in April and boiled to be eaten as "Indian spinach."
Downriver Halkomelem Cultural Role(s):
Island Halkomelem Cultural Role(s):
      These irritating plants have been used to rub on the skin as a counter-irritant medicine to treat chest and shoulder pain while the roots have been used as an arthritis medicine.

CAUTION: This species may be harmful. Contact with the stinging hairs (trichomes) will result in dermatitis (skin irritation) from irritant chemicals produced by the plant.