Mystery plant!

[Jackrabbit]

What is this plant called? And can rabbits eat it? It STINGS.

 

[MaggieJ]

It's common nettle -- Urtica dioica.

It's a very useful plant for both humans and rabbits, but for the rabbits it must be either well wilted or dried so that they don't get stung. It has uses as a human food and medicinal plant. Nettle soup, nettle tea and other dishes can be made from it.

Just to the right in the photo is another great rabbit food plant. It's the one with the rounded leaves with scallops. It is either round-leaf mallow (Malva rotundifolia) or perhaps common mallow (Malva neglecta). There are something like 30 species of mallow -- wonderful plants for rabbits.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

It's common nettle -- Urtica dioica.

It's a very useful plant for both humans and rabbits, but for the rabbits it must be either well wilted or dried so that they don't get stung. It has uses as a human food and medicinal plant. Nettle soup, nettle tea and other dishes can be made from it.

Just to the right in the photo is another great rabbit food plant. It's the one with the rounded leaves with scallops. It is either round-leaf mallow (Malva rotundifolia) or perhaps common mallow (Malva neglecta). There are something like 30 species of mallow -- wonderful plants for rabbits.

I would have never thought of eating nettles

 

[MaggieJ]

I would have never thought of eating nettles

Many of the invasive European weeds arrived in North America as pot herbs -- greens that could be used for food. They also tend to be plants that the European rabbit, from which our domestic rabbits are descended, have been eating since the last Ice Age. We call them weeds, but they have a great deal of value -- if you know how to use them.
https://modernfarmer.com/2018/07/10-edible-weeds-likely-growing-in-your-yard/

 

[Zee-Man]

The sting comes from histamine in the plant. The histamine denatures readily upon dehydration or heating. When I harvest it for the dinner table it is usually mid-summer. Kept in the hot car for a an hour or so makes it so that I can handle it without gloves. I wouldn't suggest you do the same unless you are less sensitive like I am. I take the stripped leaves and use them the same way I would spinach. Indeed, I consider the flavor to be that of an earthier spinach .

I have not offered it to my rabbits since I make a special trip to get it for myself. Based on my experience handling it, I would suggest hanging it breezy even sunny location for a full 24 hours before feeding to rabbits. You test it easily for readiness by stroking the inside of your forearm with the plant. It stings? Let it hang!

Often growing in the same vicinity as stinging nettle is Jewel Weed Impatiens capensis whose juice is specific for nettle stings. Crush leaves and stems and spread on the affected area for immediate relief. It also works on many other skin irritants including mosquito bites.

 

[Albert]

I love the fact you guys think of these as a rarity when I spend the majority of my weeding time fighting the damn things back!

The English make nettle wine out of them as well because they're English and wouldn't know a decent bottle of wine if it smacked them in the back of the head.

 

[Zee-Man]

I love the fact you guys think of these as a rarity when I spend the majority of my weeding time fighting the damn things back!

The English make nettle wine out of them as well because they're English and wouldn't know a decent bottle of wine if it smacked them in the back of the head.

I've toyed with the idea of proogating them into my garden scheme. I never seem to get out for them when they have gone to seed though. Yesterday I put out seed for bishop weed (Aegopodium podagraria) and wintercress (Barbarea vulgaris). I hope to get rugosa roses established this year. While not edible for human or rabbit, I missed getting dogbane in again last year.

Maybe you could make some nettle quiche for neighbors and they would love it so much as to come harvest it for you.