Hyssopleaf hedgenettle
Stachys chinensis

Family: Lamiaceae

What it is like

A herb. It is erect and keeps growing from year to year. The stems are 60 cm high and unbranched. The leaf stalk is 2-5 mm long and the leaf blade is oblong to sword shaped and 5.5-8.5 cm long by 1-1.5 cm wide. There are teeth along the edge. The flowers are purple. The nutlets are brown and 3 sided.

There are about 300 Stachys species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. In China it grows on sandy areas up to 1000 m altitude in northern regions.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Manchuria, Russia

How it is used for food

The underground stem or rhizome is eaten.

Edible parts

Root, rhizome

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Hua shui su

Synonyms

Stachys aspera Michaux var. chinensis (Bunge ex Benth.) Maxim.; Stachys baicalensis Fischer ex Benth. var. chinensis (Bunge ex Benth.) V. Komarov; Stachys chanetii H.Leveille;