Stinging Nettle

Urtica dioica

—

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.

Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus americanus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virens
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Nyctanassa violacea
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Birds. 2 shared habitats
American Coot
Fulica americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Woodcock
Scolopax minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Barred Owl
Strix varia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus erythropthalmus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-winged Warbler
Vermivora pinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Broad-winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Thrasher
Toxostoma rufum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Canvasback
Aythya valisineria
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Carolina Chickadee
Poecile carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cerulean Warbler
Dendroica cerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
Birds. 1 shared habitat

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

Native alternatives

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