Stachys sylvatica edible weed

 Stachys sylvatica (Hedge Woundwort, Whitespot, Hedge Nettle) is a common weed in Wellington and many other parts of New Zealand (1). 

There are not many references to it being used as food but Couplan (2) states the young leaves of all Stachys are edible raw or cooked, stating Stachys sylvatica has been eaten in Europe, recommending the taste of the raw leaves after being crushed for a few minutes.

I find the leaves unpalatable raw (without crushing) but after boiling for four minutes they loose most of their kick and are pretty good, with only a slight attitude some might not like much but which I enjoy. I have eaten the large mature leaves boiled in quantity hundreds of times. 

I find it is worth allowing this perennial shade loving weed to grow in the food garden as it is quite productive and can be continuously harvested a few leaves at at time without killing the plant. It grows up to 1 meter tall and does not usually cause much trouble to neighboring plants.

Reference

1) An Illustrated Guide to Common Weeds of New Zealand. Ian Popay, Paul Champion, Trevor James. 2004.

2) The Encylopedia of Edible Plants of North America. Nature's Green Feast. Francois Couplan. 1998.