Urtica dioica L.

Locations ofUrtica dioica L. in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Urticaceae
Botanical Name
Urtica dioica L.
Common Name
European Stinging Nettle, Great Nettle
Synonym(s)
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Urtica dioica L.
Comments
Map incomplete at this time, as Urtica dioica and U. gracilis ssp. gracilis were lumped in previous editions of the Atlas, and some herbarium specimens have not been checked. See composite map of Urtica dioica + Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis for all county records of stinging nettles in Virginia.

This is the most commonly encountered (and most painful) Urtica in Virginia, at least in the northern part of the state. It is naturalized from Europe and very invasive in alluvial habitats.
Habitat
Floodplain forests and moist or damp ruderal habitats such as low fields and roadsides. Locally common along rivers and large streams of the mountains and Piedmont, particularly in the Potomac, Shenandoah, and upper James River drainages; infrequent to rare elsewhere in these provinces and in the Coastal Plain.
Native Status
Introduced

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