American Stinging Nettle (Urtica gracilis Aiton)
Most authorities including USDA and BONAP lump together this species with the great stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) under that scientific name, and treat the two populations as subspecies. However we find compelling reasons to separate them as species, including clear morphological differences, incompatibility and lack of hybridization, and ecological differences. This newer treatment is accepted by POWO and Weakley's FSUS and we anticipate everyone will eventually adopt it as the rationale for it is compelling.
↑Range - Expand
| Legend | Color |
| Native | |
| Expanded | |
| Native or Not Present | |
| Native or Expanded | |
| Expanded or Not Present | |
| Native or Expanded or Not Present |
This tentative map is based on our own research. It may have limited data on Canada and/or Mexico, and there is some subjectivity in our assignment of plants as introduced vs. expanded. Read more in this blog post.
Although this plant occurs somewhere in each of these regions, it may only occur in a small part of some or all of them.
↑Links & External Resources
• Urtica gracilis Aiton | Plants of the World Online (POWO) (About This Site)
• Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis - Stinging Nettle | Biota of North America Project (BONAP) (About This Site)
• American Nettle | Maryland Biodiversity Project (About This Site)
• Urtica gracilis Ait. (American Stinging Nettle) | Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora (About This Site)
↑Photo gallery
