Stinging Nettle

Urtica dioica

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Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 65%

Height: 3–9 feet
Spread: 1–3 feet
Light: Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

Urtica dioica — foliage photograph — no rights reserved · CC0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial

Not yet recorded · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 4 Alabama counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 123 animals.

Orange-crowned Warbler
Vermivora celata
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Pine Siskin
Carduelis pinus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Prothonotary Warbler
Protonotaria citrea
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Purple Finch
Carpodacus purpureus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta canadensis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Red-headed Woodpecker
Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Ruffed Grouse
Bonasa umbellus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Rusty Blackbird
Euphagus carolinus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Birds. 2 shared habitats
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
White-winged Dove
Zenaida asiatica
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Willow Flycatcher
Empidonax traillii
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata
Birds. 2 shared habitats

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

20CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Urtica

Polygonia interrogationisQuestion Mark
Vanessa atalantaRed Admiral
Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
Allagrapha aereaUnspotted Looper Moth
Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
Heterophleps triguttariaThree-Spotted Fillip
Hypena humuliHop Snout Moth, Hop Vine Snout, Hop Looper
Hypena sordidulaSordid Bomolocha, Sordid Snout

Show all 20

Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
Pandemis lamprosanaWoodgrain Leafroller
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Phlogophora periculosaBrown Angle Shades
Polygonia commaEastern Comma
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
Vanessa virginiensisAmerican Lady, American Painted Lady
Zanclognatha cruralisEarly Zanclognatha, Early Fan-Foot

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Urticaceae
Hardiness: Zones 4a–10b
Flower color: Green or white

What its natural habitat tells you

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Flower color · “Green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Hardiness · “Zones 4a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “3–9 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Fire Effects Information System: Urtica dioica, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Spread · “1–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

European Stinging Nettle; Great Nettle

Conservation status

Alabama rank	SNR
Global rank	G5
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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