Nettles

  by Nita Holstine

This nettle was called Horse Nettle or Bull Nettle. It has sparse prickly needles down the spine and leaves. It has purple with yellow blooms and we have lots of this but I have seen it called Jimson Weed. It hurts only enough that you cannot pull it from the ground by hand.

This nettle was called Burning Nettle but has almost smooth mum shaped leaves and a close to the stem growth pattern. What flowers were showing appeared to be white but the irritation was minimal.

This one was called Bull or Horse Nettle and looks much like the first listing with the purple and yellow flowers but the plant itself is much larger with more bristles along the stems and leaves.

This nettle was called Horse Nettle and looks like the other "Horse" Nettle leaves, even has the little berry. But, it has a yellow bloom. 

This variety is labeled Carolina Horse Nettle. It has a more upright nature and a star shaped white bloom. The leaves are much larger that the Horse Nettle.

This was called Burning Nettle or Western Horse Nettle. It was also titled Silverleaf Nightshade. But look close and you can see it is still just like the other Horse Nettles with the thin pointed leaves and purple and yellow flowers. The photos below are from our farm.

The two photos above were taken here on our place. They are what we've called devil bush. You don't touch any part of it on purpose. Just to brush against it with your leg or ankle, you will have a minimum of an hour of anguish. Randy has a worse reaction and the skin breaks and it takes months to heal. I get into it more probably so I have less reaction now. The first picture at the top of this page has the same crinkled leaves and white flowers but what we have only has the short compact growth if it has been cut back and is regrowing in the same season. Those out and in the dry areas are all dying. We've not had sufficient rain to keep the wild plants going in the wide open spaces. 

The beautiful bloom is popular with the hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. On the left photo, you will see the seed pod. These are sections which as the pod dries will each have a seed. They seem to be popular with the turkeys and usually disappear long before they dry. The plants spread easily by the root which is a massive tuber deep under ground. As the plant is cut down more often, the root will move to the top of the soil and you will eventually be able to get it all out!! 

I let these nettles grow in the tomato garden last year and they quite efficiently kept the rabbits out of the areas where they were thickest. Of course, I needed tongs to get fruit out when it was ripe. It was all too easy to brush against the plant and be hurting intensely for at least half an hour. Ouch!

I plan on trying Byron Tumlinson's method of spraying unwanted plants with vinegar. Sure couldn't hurt to try. 

This nettle is what the photos at the top of the page show to be Horse, Burning or Bull Nettle or Silverleaf Nightshade. This is a common pest in this entire area but we'd always called it Jimson Weed and I'd never heard these other names. It makes the berry that is shown in the other photo at top. In the picture you can see that there are no thorns or needles on the stems you see. Only on the lower stems and base are there thorns. They will definitely keep me from pulling them up by hand. With gloves on, they are no problem. No bugs ever bother either of these evil plants. This photo was taken in the garden and the plant is nice and hardy but the ones in the driveway are scrawny and sparse.