Angiosperms: Dicotyledons

Urticaceae
Nettle Family

• Stem: annual; 1’ to 1 1/2’ tall; usually not branching; vascular bundles visible in transparent stem; smooth or a few long hairs.
• Leaves: opposite; oval with blunt-tapered bases and pointed tips; 1” by 3/4”; leaf stalks 1/2”, with a few hairs; margins round-toothed; smooth above and below.
• Inflorescence: short branched flower stalks from the stem tip and upper leaf axils; flowers very inconspicuous.
• Flowers: sepals green, 1/32” long; stamens longer than the sepals; no petals; flowers male or female; flowering from mid- to late July.
• Fruits: one-seeded, flat, purple-black; 1/16” long; fruiting begins in early August.
• Habitat: very uncommon in fens and seepage areas to moist prairies.
• Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Vascular Plants of Iowa