Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis (Stinging Nettle)

Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis

Urtica dioica L. ssp. gracilis (Aiton) Seland.

Urtica californica Greene

Urtica cardiophylla Rydb.

Urtica dioica L. var. angustifolia Schltdl.

Urtica dioica L. var. californica (Greene) C.L. Hitchc.

Urtica dioica L. var. gracilis (Aiton) C.L. Hitchc.

Urtica dioica L. var. lyallii (S. Watson) C.L. Hitchc.

Urtica dioica L. var. procera (Muhl. ex Willd.) Weddell

Urtica gracilis Aiton

Urtica lyallii S. Watson

Urtica lyallii S. Watson var. californica (Greene) Jeps.

Urtica major H.P. Fuchs

Urtica procera Muhl. ex Willd.

Urtica serra auct. non Blume

Urtica strigosissima Rydb.

Urtica viridis Rydb.

Stinging Nettle, Common Nettle

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Urticales	Includes cannabis, nettles, mulberries, elms, others
Family	Urticaceae	Nettle family
Genus	Urtica	From uro, “I burn,” alluding to the nettle’s sting
Species	dioica	Dioecious, having male and female flowers on separate plants
ssp.	gracilis	Slender, graceful

About plant names...

Stinging nettle, so named for spiky hairs that are pretty much tiny hypodermic needles filled with something of a witch’s brew of irritating chemicals. These include histamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, formic acid (the same irritant in some bee stings), and leukotriens. These plants are North American natives. (A close relative, Urtica dioica ssp. dioica, is native to Europe and Asia, though long established in North America.) Both are found in temperate regions worldwide. They prefer river deltas, floodplains, margins of deciduous woodlands, fencerows, and waste places.

Plants: 24-39" (60-100 cm) high, rarely up to twice that. The entire plant is covered in stinging hairs.

Leaves: Opposite, oblong, cordate, and serrate (with sawtooth edges). They are 1-6" (3-15 cm) long.

Flowers: Plants are monoecious—male staminate flowers appear on the same plants as female pistillate flowers. Male flowers are grayish yellow, with four tepals. Female flowers have four tepals too, but in different-sized pairs. They are gray-green and hairy. The flower clusters resemble catkins.

Fruits: Each inner pair of tepals encloses a single deltoid to ovoid seed.

Edibility: Dried or cooked, the young leaves are safely edible, and taste like spinach. Don’t even think about eating them raw!

Medical: Historically stinging nettle has been used to treat muscle and joint pain, eczema, arthritis, gout, anemia, and many other ailments. More recent studies have found that plant extracts aid in treatment of urinary tract infections, kidney and bladder stones, and rheumatism. Root extracts have been used to treat prostate complaints and irritable bladder. Stinging nettle extracts should not be used during pregnancy.

9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, VA
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 19 cm)

9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, VA
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm)

9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, VA
≈ 7 × 9" (18 × 23 cm)

9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, VA
≈ 1¾ × 2" (4.7 × 5.6 cm)

See this article by Steve Brill on distinguishing among nettles and related plants. Here are some similar species:

	*Laportea canadensis*	*Boehmeria cylindrica*	*Acalypha rhomboidea*
Common Name	Wood Nettle	False Nettle	Three-seeded Mercury
Plant	24-48" (60-121 cm) high. Stems have *stiff white hairs that sting* if you rub against them.	4-63" (10-160 cm) high, and favor shady wooded areas. Stems are smooth, without the irritating hairs of stinging nettle.	6-24" (15-60 cm) tall, with a stem that is *hairless or covered with fine white hairs. Bracts beneath flowers, stems, and leaf undersides turn copper-colored*.
Flowers	Male flower clusters are white or greenish white, in loose branching clusters. Each flower is less than ⅛" (3.2 mm) across, with 5 petals. They appear from July to September.	Flowers *occur on straight spikes that emerge from the stem,* in clusters of small, inconspicuous green flowers. Each spike is often tipped by a couple of small leaves. Flowers appear from July to August.	Flowers are greenish-tan, and tiny—less than ⅛" (3.2 mm) across. They flower from July to October.
Leaves	Alternate, up to 4" (10 cm) × 6" (15 cm), egg-shaped, with coarse serrations.	Usually opposite or nearly so. They are roughly egg-shaped, with sharp tips and teeth. (More precisely, they are elliptic, lanceolate to broadly ovate.) The leaves are 1¾-7" (5-18 cm) × ¾-4" (2-10 cm).	Leaves are alternate, lance-like or oval with sharp tips, 3½" (8.9 cm) × 1" (2.5 cm), with blunt serrations.
Fruit	Oblique dry seeds.	Spiky little balls.	A 3-lobed roughly spherical fruit containing 3 seeds.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Moist woods, streambanks, in rich soils	Moist, deciduous woods; wet meadows; swamps, bogs, and mashes	Open woods, moist soils, gravel bars, waste ground, roadsides, railroads.
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild

	You are here Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis	*Pilea pumila*
Common Name	Stinging Nettle	Clearweed
Plant	24-39" (60-100 cm) high, rarely up to twice that. The entire plant is covered in stinging hairs.	6-24" (15-60 cm) high, with smooth, round, translucent stems. They *do not have stinging hairs*.
Flowers	Plants are monoecious—male staminate flowers appear on the same plants as female pistillate flowers. Male flowers are grayish yellow, with four tepals. Female flowers have four tepals too, but in different-sized pairs. They are gray-green and hairy. The flower clusters resemble catkins.	Both male and female flowers are on each plant. Fowers are ⅛" (3.2 mm) long, greenish-white or greenish-yellow, hanging in narrow bunches from the axils of the upper leaves.
Leaves	Opposite, oblong, cordate, and serrate (with sawtooth edges). They are 1-6" (3-15 cm) long.	Leaves occur in opposite pairs, each 1-5" (2.5-12 cm) long by ½-2½" (1.3-6.3 cm) wide. Leaves are oval-shaped and coarse-toothed, with three prominent veins and textured leaves. The leaves are bright green, usually shiny, and become yellow in the fall.
Fruit	Each inner pair of tepals encloses a single deltoid to ovoid seed.	Tiny green seeds (achenes) sometimes have black stripes.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	River deltas, floodplains, margins of deciduous woodlands, fencerows, and waste places	Wet upland or floodplain forests, crevices in rocky canyons, and shady wetlands, streambanks.
Type	Wild	Wild

Online References:

Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis on gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org

Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis on www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org

Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis on www.ediblewildfood.com

Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis on www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net

Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis on eFloras

Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis from the Jepson Manual

References:

Multiple Authors, PDR for Herbal Medicines, Thomson Healthcare Inc., 2007, p. 792

Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Aug 2019.

9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, VA
≈ 6 × 9" (16 × 23 cm)

Range:

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