FNPS Plant Database

Stachys floridana

Florida hedgenettle, Florida betony
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Ginny Stibolt, Ixia Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Florida hedgenettle, Florida betony

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Stachys floridana

Family:

Lamiaceae (Labiatae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

Flower

Size:

.7–1.7 ft tall by .25–.5 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white, pink, purple

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Winter dormant

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

In a meadow, where its aggressiveness is an asset. Can be a low maintenance roadside plant. Difficult to recommend for most landscape uses.

Considerations:

Quite aggressive in the landscape and difficult to get rid of because of its deep tubers.

Availability:

Propagation:

Virtually all spread is by tuber.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

Adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies

Attracts bees and butterflies.

Native Habitats:

Moist-wet disturbed sites. Flatwoods

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

The tuber of this plant is edible and very crisp; it adds texture to salads. The tuber has a segmented appearance reminiscent of a rattlesnake tail. This plant can be mowed and used in a "freedom lawn" but be aware that it spreads. The plant was considered to be a Florida endemic but began to spread in the 1940s and 1950s. It is known as an aggressive weed in most areas outside of Florida.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Florida Wildflower Foundation. (2021). Flower Friday: Florida Betony. ( https://flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-stachys-floridana/ ). Accessed 2026. Florida Wildflower Foundation, Maitland.


Lantz, Peggy S. (2014). Florida's Edible Wild Plants: A Guide to Collecting and Cooking. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


North Carolina State Extension. (Undated). North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. ( https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/ ). North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, Greensboro, NC.


Wunderlin, R. P, B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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