E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Stachys mexicana Benth.
Mexican hedge-nettle (Mexican hedgenettle)
Lamiaceae (Mint family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Jamie Fenneman  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #14612)

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Distribution of Stachys mexicana
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from rhizome; stems erect, 30-100 cm tall, simple or branched, 4-angled, spreading-hairy on the angles, some hairs glandular.
Leaves:
Opposite, narrowly egg-shaped, 2-12 cm long, 1.5-8 cm wide, coarsely blunt-toothed, sparsely-hairy; stalked; somewhat reduced and shorter-stalked upward.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of several to many flowers in open terminal clusters, often with additional flower clusters in leaf axils, subtended by slightly reduced leaves or bracts; corollas tubular, pink or pink-purple, the tube 8-13 mm long, 2-lipped, the upper lip erect, entire, the lower lip 3-lobed; calyces tubular, spreading-hairy, sometimes glandular, ring of hairs within, teeth broadly lance-triangular, shorter than the tube, spine-tipped.
Fruits:
Nutlets, 4 clustered together.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist to mesic forests, forest margins, swamps, thickets and clearings in the lowland zone; infrequent in coastal BC; N to S AK and S to CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Stachys mexicana

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 3 90 820
Slope Gradient (%) 0 3 80
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
10 189 340
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
4 5 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
D
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
130
Modal BEC Zone Class
CWH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: CDF(1), CWH(125), ICH(3)

Ecological Indicator Information

Shade-tolerant/intolerant, sub montane to montane, Pacific North American forb. Occurs in cool mesothermal climates on very moist to wet, nitrogen-rich soils. Occurrence decreases with increasing latitude, elevation, and continentality. Sporadic in the herbaceous understory of broad-leaved forests on water-receiving (floodplain) sites. Commonly associated with Adiantum pedatum, Athyrium filix-femina, Circaea pacifica, Oplopanax horridus, Tiarella trifoliata, and Tolmiea menziesii. A nitrophytic species characteristic of Moder and Mull humus forms.

SourceIndicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia (Information applies to coastal locations only)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is cool mesothermal.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Stachys ciliata Douglas ex Benth.
Stachys emersonii Piper

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References