Urtica urens L.
Family: Urticaceae
Pertinent Synonyms & Notes (particularly those used in California; go to GRIN for other synonyms)
none
Pertinent Common Names (particularly those used in California; go to GRIN for other common names)
burning nettle, dwarf nettle
Primary Disseminule Type
fruit (typically without attached tepals)
Description (diagnostics are in brown)
Disseminule a fruit with or without the persistent inner pair of tepals (tepals are very loose around fruit and therefore often missing). Inner tepals glabrous to hairy with ciliate margins.
Fruit an achene, narrowly ovate to triangular in outline with a pointed apex without persistent style base and a truncate base, compressed, cross-section lenticular to barely fusiform, 1.5–2(2.5) mm long x 1–1.3(1.5) mm wide x 0.3–0.6 mm thick. Surface rough (dark brown papillae on top of a honeycombed surface), light brown to yellowish-tan, dull.
Similar Species
Risk Assessment (codes in yellow or red indicate cause for concern; assessments are current as of mid-2011; click AUQP, NZBORIC, or NZBPI for access to the most recent versions of these databases and possible assessment changes)
AUQP, NZBORIC, NZBPI