Species

Urtica aspera

Etymology

Urtica: from the Latin verb urere which means "to burn"
aspera: From the Latin asper 'rough', meaning rough or covered with hard short rigid points

Common Name(s)

None known

Current Conservation Status

2012 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon
2004 - Sparse

Qualifiers

2012 - Sp
2009 - DP

Authority

Urtica aspera Petrie

Family

Urticaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

URTASP

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. South Island, eastern from Marlborough (upper Awatere and Clarence) south to Central Otago.

Habitat

Usually montane to subalpine (>300 m a.s.l.) in short tussock grassland, grey scrub, often in and around boulders, rock tors, at the base of cliffs, on rock ledges or at the back of shallow rock overhangs. Sometimes at low altitudes in pasture or along river flats. This species seems to prefer dry sites to wet ones though it is very shade tolerant.

Features

Stout, erect, suberect to trailing, tufted, some shaggy-looking, grey-green, pale green to yellow-green, dioecious herb up to 400 x 600 mm, woody at base, rhizomatous, widely spreading, often forming discrete clonal patches. All parts usually densely clad in shortly stalked, fine, stinging hairs (such that plants often appear to be fuzzed/shaggy due to sting density) sometimes markedly less so, otherwise sparsely hairy. Stipules 4 per node, up to 10 mm long, entire. Petioles 10-40(-60) mm long. Leaves 20-40(-60) x 10-40 mm, grey-green, green to yellow-green (very rarely dark green), broadly ovate, elliptic, rarely broadly lanceolate, subcordate, truncate to cuneate at base, obtusely to acutely serrated; teeth 5 mm, acute, sinus acute. Inflorescences axillary spikes up to 50 mm long, perianth-segements glabrate; staminate spikes usually widely-spaced, distant clusters, pistillate approximate. Perianth green, 4-partite, free at base, female flowers with perianths unequally divided, 2 largest enclosing achene, male flowers with 4 equal perianth segments, greenish-yellow. Achene 1-.5 mm, ellipsoid to ovoid, pale brown.

Similar Taxa

Close to U. incisa Poiret from which it differs by its preference for usually montane to subalpine, dry situations, usually within a free draining substrate, and ovate to elliptic, serrated leaves, and usually copious covering of white, stalked stinging hairs, thus imparting a somewhat shaggy appearance to plants. Some plants that are much less sting covered superficially resemble U. dioica L. and these can best be separated by the basal stalk of the stinging hair being much less in length than the tip. Flora 4 states that U. aspera is not rhizomatous - this is incorrect as it is often widely rhizomatous a feature seen also in the introduced U. dioica.

Flowering

October - January

Flower Colours

Green,Yellow

Fruiting

November - May

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from fresh seed, stem cuttings and rooted pieces. Does well in a dry, sunny, fertile, free draining soil. Not likely to be widely cultivated on account of its very painful sting.

Threats

An apparently naturally widely distributed and biologically sparse species. No immediate threats are obvious though it has been recorded hybridising with other indigenous Utrica species. It is unclear whether it has undergone any decline though it has not been recorded from the northern part of its range for a very long time - though it may have been overlooked or confused with introduced nettle species.

Chromosome No.

2n = 24

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Where To Buy

Not commercially available

 

  

This page last updated on 20 Jan 2014