States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaArkansasFloridaLouisianaMississippiVirginiaWest Virginia
Menu

Epling's Hedge-nettle

Stachys eplingii

Found in moist forests, bogs, calcareous fens, wet meadows over calcareous or mafic substrates. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

57
Strong

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height
Up to about 3 feet 4 inches
Light
Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to wet
Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to August
Fruiting season
August to September

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 2 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

Mountain bogs and fens

Wet, open, peaty mountain wetlands fed by seepage, often with sphagnum moss.

Wet meadows

Open, wet, grassy or sedgy ground that is not a bog.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

9CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Stachys

  • Clepsis peritanaGarden Tortrix
  • Endothenia hebesanaVerbena Bud Moth
  • Euptoieta claudiaVariegated Fritillary, (?)Gulf Fritillary
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
  • Ogdoconta cinereolaCommon Pinkband Groundling
  • Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
  • Endothenia nubilana
  • Pelochrista womonana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
16BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Stachys

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Stachys

  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
  • Spinus tristisAmerican Goldfinch
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Lamiaceae
Flower color
White, pink or purple
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
September
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Epling's Hedge nettle

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS2
Global rankG1G2
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Sources