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WildBristol.uk - Discovering Wildlife in Bristol

Small Nettle - Urtica urens

Favourite Photos

image species author location uploaded taken select
Small Nettle Small Nettle - Urtica urens dylan Floating Harbour and River Avon 30 Dec 2022, 10:13 p.m. 30 Dec 2022, 12:48 p.m.
Small Nettle Small Nettle - Urtica urens dylan Floating Harbour and River Avon 30 Dec 2022, 10:13 p.m. 30 Dec 2022, 12:42 p.m.
Small Nettle Small Nettle - Urtica urens dylan Floating Harbour and River Avon 30 Dec 2022, 10:13 p.m. 30 Dec 2022, 12:42 p.m.
Small Nettle Small Nettle - Urtica urens dylan Floating Harbour and River Avon 30 Dec 2022, 10:13 p.m. 30 Dec 2022, 12:42 p.m.
Small Nettle Small Nettle - Urtica urens dylan Floating Harbour and River Avon 30 Dec 2022, 10:13 p.m. 30 Dec 2022, 12:43 p.m.
Small Nettle Small Nettle - Urtica urens dylan Floating Harbour and River Avon 30 Dec 2022, 10:13 p.m. 30 Dec 2022, 12:43 p.m.

Species Description

Widespread and fairly frequent throughout the UK but rare and absent from much of the West. Habitat includes: Disturbed, fertile, free-draining soil in places such as gardens, parks, allotments, well-tilled arable land (especially fields of broad-leaved crops), farmyards, wasteland, roadside verges etc. Growing habit: Spring-germinating Annual. Height: Up to 60 cm. Flowers: June to October (all year round in milder places). Other names include: Annual Nettle, Dwarf Nettle.

Stace 4:

Urtica urens L. - Small Nettle.

Monoecious annual to 60cm; inflorescences each with many female and few male flowers; leaves and stems with abundant stinging hairs but otherwise glabrous to sparsely hairy; terminal leaf-tooth about as long as adjacent laterals; 2n=24. Archaeophyte-denizen; cultivated and waste ground; frequent throughout British Isles but commoner in East.

Key:

  • Annual without rhizomes or stolons; monoecious
  • Each node with 4 free stipules; each raceme with male and female flowers.

Useful Links:

Naturespot

Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora

Kew

RHS

Wikipedia

Bioimages

GBIF

NBN