Common Name: Canadian Wood Nettle

General Information

Laportea canadensis is a perennial plant growing from a tuberous rootstock; it produces a clump of stems 30 - 150cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

The leaves have stinging hairs, much like stinging nettles (Urtica species) to which they are related[]. The sting is often mild, though it can give the sensation of intense burning and itching, but it usually lasts for less than an hour[].

Botanical References

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Range

N. America - Nova Scotia to Ontario and North Dakota, south to Florida and Kansas; northeast Mexico.

Habitat

Rich, moist, deciduous forests, often along seepages and streams; at elevations from sea level to 2,000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

We have very little information on this plant and do not know how hardy it is, but it succeeds outdoors at Kew and Cambridge Botanical Gardens as well as our trial grounds in Cornwall[].
It should succeed in most soils in sun or semi-shade.

Edible Uses

Young leaves - cooked[, ]. Very nutritious and with a delicious flavour, they are used like spinach[]. Some caution should be observed when harvesting this plant since the raw leaves have stinging hairs. It is perfectly safe to eat the leaves when they are cooked, however, since heat completely destroys the sting[].

Medicinal

A decoction of the plant is used in the treatment of fevers[].

The root is diuretic[]. An infusion of the crushed roots has been used to facilitate childbirth[].

The plant has been used to treat incontinence and tuberculosis, to counteract poison, as a love medicine, and to facilitate childbirth[].

Other Uses

A fibre obtained from the stem is used for making nets, cordage etc[, , , , ]. It is up to 50 times stronger than cotton[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.