Attention: Here are two plants that look very similar. Laypeople often cannot tell them apart at first glance. The stinging nettle and the dead nettle are not even related to each other
Which plant is similar to nettle?
The deadnettle is similar to the stinging nettle in leaf shape, color and growth. Both have dark green, oblong-ovate leaves and grow upright. However, their flowers differ: deadnettle flowers are larger, showier and in different colors, while stinging nettle flowers are inconspicuous and yellow-brown.
A closer look at the leaves of the two
Stinging nettle leaves and dead nettle leaves have the following things in common:
- dark green color
- summergreen
- Sprout in March/April
- smooth structure
- oblong-ovoid
- long pointed at the end
- heart-shaped at the base
- stemmed
- hairy
- sharply sawn on the edge
But there are also differences. The dead nettle leaves have no stinging hairs, unlike the nettle leaves. They also smell completely different when crushed. On top of that, the veins of the dead nettle leaves appear more honeycomb-shaped.
Strong difference: The flowers
Stinging nettles are confused with dead nettles and vice versa, especially outside of the flowering period. Once flowering begins, there are no longer any doubts because: There is a strong difference between the flowers of these two plants.
The flowers of the nettle are extremely inconspicuous. They appear in July, grow together in panicles, are yellow-brown in color and tiny. The deadnettle flowers, on the other hand, are larger and more showy. They are white or purple in the case of the purple deadnettle.
In detail the characteristics of the deadnettle flowers:
- Present April to October
- standing in the leaf axils
- Mock whorls
- 6 to 16 individual flowers per inflorescence
- 2 to 2.5 cm long flower crown
- hermaphrodite
- Spots in the flower throat
Similar growth
The growth of these two wild herbs is also very similar. Both grow upright and are slim in stature. A long stem forms the base to which the stalked leaves attach. The stems of both plants are angular in cross section.
The height of growth is also similar. Dead nettles grow between 10 and 70 cm in size. Only the large nettle can reach heights of up to 3 m. The small nettle is satisfied with 50 cm.
Similar location requirements
Last but not least, stinging nettles and dead nettles have similar location requirements. Both like to grow in meadows, along roadsides and in bank areas. They both also love nitrogen-rich soils. It's not uncommon for them to stand right next to each other.
Tip
The golden nettle and the nettle-leaved bellflower also look quite similar to the stinging nettle due to their leaf shape.
