hedge nettle
- 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.
- any similar, related plant, especially S. hispida, of wet places.
Show More
Origin of hedge nettle
First recorded in 1670–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for hedge nettle
Historical Examples
Its specific name is a happy one, denoting its resemblance to the Stachys, or hedge-nettle.
The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and HabitsMary Elizabeth Parsons