Urtica gracilis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Urticaceae |
Genus: | Urtica |
Species: | |
Subspecies: |
U. d. subsp. gracilis
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Trinomial name | |
Urtica dioica subsp. gracilis | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Urtica gracilis, commonly known as the slender nettle, tall nettle, or American stinging nettle, is a perennial plant plant without woody stems that is well known for the unpleasant stinging hairs on its leaves and stems.[2] It is native to much of the North America from Guatemala northwards and temperate areas of South America.[1] It is easily confused with the visually very similar Eurasian species Urtica dioica and is still listed in some resources as a subspecies of this plant.[3] However, genetic analysis and experiments show that they are genetically distinct and do not cross pollinate.[4]
Urtica gracilis is a perennial plant, one that regrows for many years, with stems that die back the ground in winter (herbaceous plant).[5] It spreads both by wind borne seeds and by rhizomes, often forming dense stands in favorable conditions.[2] Plants can be between 50 centimeters and 3 meters in height with stems that can be simple or branched.[5] Stems will vary in between being smooth and covered in stiff hairs (glabroustostrigose), but have few of the stinging hairs the plant is known for.[6]
The leaves of Urtica gracilis are variable, elliptic, lanceolate, or ovate, and 6–20 cm long by 2–13 cm across, with a base that can either be rounded or shaped like a heart (roundedtocordate). The leaf edges are have coarse teeth, sometimes with smaller teeth within each larger tooth (doubly serrate) and the ends are pointed.[5] The underside of the leaves are covered in the stinging hairs that the species is so well known for, but the upper surface only rarely has a few stinging hairs and is more often smooth or covered in non-stinging fine hairs (puberulent).[6]
Urtica gracilis has a flowering panicle, a much branched flowering stem with multiple flowers on sort stems. The flowers are unisexual, each one only having either female pistols or male stamens. Mostly plants will have both genders of flowers.[6] The flowers are not large or showy.[5]
Urtica dioica subsp. gracilis |
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