smooth hedgenettle, Stachys tenuifolia

Stachys is a bit of an outlier in the mint family. It's not minty at all. It tastes bitter, and is not even much eaten by all those critters that eat your hostas. But it is a good puzzle for botanists. The lumpers and splitters have been contesting classification of this genus for centuries. The splitters seem to be currently ascendant, and we now have a number of species in this part of Stachys, with this one being the least fuzzy. Smooth hedgenettle grows in fields, thickets and open woods in AL, AR, CT(S), DE, FL(E), GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN< MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV, MB, NB, ON, and QC. Lenawee Co MI, 8/17/11. Mint family, Lamiaceae.