hedge nettle

noun

1. a slender-leafed, hairy plant, Stachys palustris, of the mint family, abundant along roadsides and in fields and marshes, having clusters of tubular, purple flowers on a spike.
2. any similar, related plant, especially S. hispida, of wet places.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hedge nettle¹

First recorded in 1670–80

Example Sentences

Its specific name is a happy one, denoting its resemblance to the Stachys, or hedge-nettle.

From Project Gutenberg