Many unlike plant species have stinging pilus , but only a few are found farm in Florida . Most of the plant that sting in Florida are from the Urtica genus , which are nettle weeds . Although some cutting plants have certain medicinal uses or are edible , the plant life ' stinging whisker contain toxic compounds that can cause skin rashes , stick sensations , or annoyance and severe itchiness .

Heart-Leaf Nettle or Ortiguilla

The heart - leaf nettle ( Urtica chamaedryoides ) , also called the rickety nettle or ortiguilla , is an annual herb with bite hairs that grows in Florida ’s northern , cardinal and panhandle regions . The heart - leaf nettle is usually find growing in flood plain , fertile woodland sphere , disturbed site and in farmyard . Heart - leaf nettle get 4 to 20 inches tall with weak stem that outgrowth from the al-Qaeda of the plant . The leaves are triangular to heart - shaped , 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long and 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches wide , and arranged opposite each other in pairs along the stems . The sting haircloth are satisfy with liquidness and spread over the stems . From bounce to summertime , the heart - leaf nettle blooms in Florida with diminutive spherical clustering of greenish flowers that issue from the leaf - stem crotch on the works .

Stinging Nettle

The stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica ) is an vertical perennial that has clustered , elongated , chemical compound efflorescence flowering , found only in the northmost part of Florida . This nettle is ordinarily found grow in pastures , subject area and wastefulness region . The sting nettle grows 3 1/3 to 6 2/3 feet tall and has prick hairs covering its farewell , stem and peak . Aside from these characteristics , most other parts of the sting nettle are indistinguishable from the centre - leaf nettle .

Burning Nettle

The burning nettle ( Urtica urens ) , also called the midget nettle , grow in Florida ’s central region and panhandle in distressed internet site and cultivated fields . Like the sting nettle , the burning nettle has elongated flower clusters , but its leaves also have sharply toothed edges .

Tread Softly

The pace quietly ( Cnidoscolus stimulosus ) , also get it on as spurge nettle , is an vertical perennial weed that reaches 3 feet in height and has stout , branching stems . The many halt subdivision in a 5 - shape and bear handwriting - shaped lobate leaves that are arranged in an alternate style along the stems . Resembling maple leave , the tread lightly ’s leaves have three to five thick lobes with " teeth " on the edges and whitish veins . The tread gently produces briery , around to cylindrical capsule fruits that contain dark - chocolate-brown seeds . The stems , pods , underside of the leaves and leaf edge all deport poisonous , stinging hairs . The stride quietly is well-heeled to discover by its larger , white star - shaped bloom . This stinging plant is line up growing throughout Florida in abandon fields , along roads , in disturbed sites , among pine forests and in other wooded region where the soils are sandlike and dry .

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