On Monday, July 15, 2024, 3:30 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

Dear Linda,

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YOUR QUESTION #0147261:

Strange plant I have

I have a strange plant or weed growing in my planter that spays off a mist and I’m not sure what it is . Wondering if you can tell me . Some say it’s nettles but it is not prickly at all so I don’t think that’s what it is .

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Linda, this is stinging nettle (Utrica dioica), a native perennial plant in Michigan. If I zoom in on the photos I can see some stinging hairs along the petioles and the main stem (see attached photo). The flora characteristics, leaf orientation, and serration also lend itself to this ID. It is possible that this plant has fewer prominent hairs due to age, environmental conditions, or genetics. 

Thanks for responding but it’s leaves are smooth I have touched it and it doesn’t have anything that stings at all.

On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, 4:48 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

I touched everything on the leaves and those pointy things on the stems also and they don’t sting . Thanks anyway for trying to help.

On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, 6:05 PM, Linda Cramer <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

Thanks for responding but it’s leaves are smooth I have touched it and it doesn’t have anything that stings at all.

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On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, 4:48 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

Genetic variation exists within this species such that this plant may not be as hairy (i.e., covered in trichomes) as expected (Nkhabu and Liphoto 2021). 

There are at least six subspecies of stinging nettle, one of which has been noted not to have stinging hairs, Urtica dioica subsp. galeopsifolia....though this is primarily thought to be found in Europe it still lends itself to the plasticity of this trait.

Here is Michigan there have been efforts to sell/produce "less sting" stinging nettles for medicinal/culinary uses, using parent material with less hairs.