A herbaceous perennial native to Europe, temperate Asia and western North Africa, now found worldwide. It grows 0.9 to 2 meters tall in summer before dying back in winter, with soft green leaves arranged oppositely along an erect stem and small, numerous greenish or brownish flowers clustered at the leaf axils. It favors soil rich in nitrogen and phosphorus and is often found near human habitation and abandoned building sites. Most of the plant is covered in hollow stinging hairs, called trichomes, that act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation on contact.
Facts
Classification
DietPhotosynthetic Autotroph 1 System (Realm) Relationship to PeopleUsed in Traditional Medicine 3 Living or Extinct Comparison
NatureServe Rank CITES Appendix Scientific Name Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Stinging Nettle
In Biome
Source NatureServe Explorer: Urtica dioica
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Urtica dioica (Wikipedia)
Lead, sentence naming the group it belongs toQuote, Lead, sentence naming the group it belongs to
Urtica dioica, often known as common nettle, burn nettle, stinging nettle, nettle leaf, or just a nettle or stinger, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae.
2. GBIF Species API
3. Plants For A Future: Urtica dioica
Plants For A FutureMedicinal UsesQuote, Medicinal Uses
Nettles have a long history of use in the home as a herbal remedy and nutritious addition to the diet.
4. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ155909, descriptionView the Source 5. NatureServe Explorer: Urtica dioica
NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)
"roundedGRank": "G5"
In Biome: Wetlands, Species characteristics: HERBACEOUS WETLAND
"palustrineHabitatDescEn": "HERBACEOUS WETLAND"
View the Source 6. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Rosales
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12440Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12440
"cites_listing":"II/III/NC","eu_listing":"B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Plantae","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":"Rosales","family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[],"cites_listings":[]
7. Wikidata: Stinging Nettle
- Wikidata P141 (IUCN conservation status) claim, entity QID Q155909
- Child Taxon Of: Magnoliopsida, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the SourceIUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Plant (Wikipedia)
Lead, whole group is photosyntheticQuote, Lead, whole group is photosynthetic
They are predominantly photosynthetic or came from photosynthetic ancestors, meaning that they obtain their energy from sunlight by using the green pigment chlorophyll in their chloroplasts to produce sugars from carbon dioxide and water.
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