The
photo at right shows rigid hedge-nettle as seen along the highway at the trailhead
to Iron Mt., Willamette N.F............July 14, 1990. The photos aren't
real clear, but the short petioles to the leaves can be made out.
Rigid hedge-nettle is an attractive perennial arising 40-110 cm high from a rhizome. The stem is erect and and ranges from unbranched to freely branched. The herbage of leaves and stems consists of numerous stiff hairs which range from coarse to rough. The leaves are mostly on the square stems, where they are opposite. The leaves bear many long, soft, shaggy hairs on both surfaces. The leaves are oblong oblong-ovate with the upper leaves often narrower or lanceolate in shape. They measure from 5-12 cm long and have rounded teeth on the margins. The slender petioles are noticeable but short, measuring from 1-4 cm long. The petioles are typically found on the middle and lower leaves.
The flowers are arranged in a series of verticels or whorls, the flowers being axillary to the leaves or bracts (on the upper part of the stem). The bell-shaped calyx ranges from 5-8 mm in length with triangular teeth much shorter than the tube. A few long, spreading hairs may be found on the outer surface of the calyx. The corolla is pinkish with red mottling and lines and has a long tube ending in two lips, the lower lip being the largest. The corolla tube measures 9-14 mm long and is longer than the calyx.
Rigid hedge-nettle is found in swamps, on streambanks and moist low ground, including roadside ditches. It is also found in open woods and in thickets.
Rigid hedge-nettle is found from central Oregon south along both sides of the Cascades to California and east to Nevada.
