Urtica incisa


Urtica incisa, commonly called scrub nettle, stinging nettle, and tall nettle, is an upright perennial herb native to streams and rainforest of eastern and southern Australia, from the north–east southwards through the east, of Queensland and New South Wales, then across the south, through Victoria, Tasmania, south-eastern South Australia and parts of southern Western Australia. The species is also widespread in the North and South Island of New Zealand.

Growth

Scrub nettle leaves are triangular and opposite, long, with serrated margins and stinging hairs.

Uses

Indigenous Australians ate the leaves after baking them between hot stones. They are considered a tasty vegetable, with colonists also using it to make a tonic for "clearing the blood".

Safety

According to the Queensland Poisons Information Centre, scrub nettle is a skin and eye irritant; touching the stinging hairs with one's skin can result in "reddening and itching, swelling and an intense burning sensation" that may last for up to 36 hours.