[Betonys and Hedgenettles: The Genus Stachys in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Coastal Hedgenettle, Cooley's Hedgenettle, Cooley's Hedge-nettle, Great Betony, Great Hedge-nettle

Stachys cooleyae

Synonyms: Stachys ciliata, Stachys chamissonis var. cooleyae

The photo at left shows a close-up of the colorful inflorescence and paired upper leaves of great hedge-nettle as seen from the webmaster's garden in Gresham, OR........June 20, 2006. The photo at right shows great hedge-nettle blooming in a small creek at the trailhead for the Indian Heaven Trail #33 at Cultus Creek Campground, Gifford Pinchot National Forest......September 8, 2023.

Characteristics:

Great hedge-nettle is an attractive perennial arising 70-150 cm high from a rhizome. The stem is erect and usually unbranched. The leaves are mostly on the square stems, where they are opposite. The leaves are pubescent on both surfaces. The leaves are deltoid-ovate to cordate-ovate in shape, the blades ranging from 6-15 cm long and 2.5-8 cm wide. The petioles are 1.5-4.5 cm in length. The margins are coarsely crenate.

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 calyx ranges from 8-11 mm in length with glandular hairs and spine-tipped teeth. The corolla is a deep red-purple with a long tube ending in two lips, the lower lip being the largest. The tube measures 15-25 mm long and the lower lip is from 8-14 mm long. The anthers spread out flat.

Habitat:

Great hedge-nettle is found in swamps and moist low ground. It may be found from sea level to nearly 4000 ft in elevation.

Range:

Great hedge-nettle is found from the Pacific coast east to the eastern base of the Cascade Mts. from southern British Columbia south to southern Oregon.

In the Columbia River Gorge, it may be found between the elevations of 0'-4500' from east of Troutdale, OR. east to Rowena, OR..

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Cooley's hedge nettles still blooming along the Lewis River along the Lewis River Trail #31 downstream about one-half mile from Bolt Camp, Gifford Pinchot National Forest.....October 13, 2023.

A close-up sideview of the flower of Cooley's hedge nettle as seen along the Pacific Crest Trail #1000 along the west side of the Big Lava Bed (about 1.5 miles north of Big Huckleberry Mt.), Gifford Pinchot National Forest...........August 31, 2013.

Paul Slichter