Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Family
Food - Leaves and shoots are used extensively in Nepalese culinary customs to enhance dishes like sisnu ko saag. Medicine - Nettle extracts and teas are frequently used in Nepali communities to treat conditions including joint pain, arthritis, and allergies.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan
It grows in moist, disturbed areas, wastelands, forests, and along streams. Tolerates a wide range of elevations.
Known for its stinging hairs that cause a burning sensation on the skin when touched.
It is a herbaceous perennial, 0.5-2 m tall.
Stem is erect, herbaceous, and square-shaped. It is green with a smooth surface and covered with stinging hairs.
Leaves are oppositely arranged on the stem, with a serrated margin and a pointed tip. They are ovate in shape, with a dark green upper surface and a lighter green underside. Prominent veins run along the underside of the leaf. Stinging hairs are also present on the leaf surface.
Flowers are small, greenish-yellow, and inconspicuous. They are arranged in clusters (inflorescences) in the leaf axils. Each flower has four sepals and lacks petals. The plant has separate male and female flowers on the same plant (monoecious).
Fruit is a tiny, flattened achene, brown or reddish-brown when mature. It is enclosed within the persistent sepals of the flower.
Flowering: March to July
Fruiting: July – September