Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Rosales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Laportea canadensis
FAMILY
Urticaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Canada Wood-nettle at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
By mid-summer, Laportea often becomes the aspect dominant in rich, moist cove forests of the mountains (especially those with extensive seepage), visually replacing the diverse spring flora. The stinging hairs can penetrate pants made of light-weight or loosely woven fabrics, per Weakley's Flora (2022)
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Laportea canadensis
FAMILY
Urticaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 059-01-001:
Laportea canadensis
FAMILY
Urticaceae
(?)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Urticastrum divaricatum
COMMON NAME:
Canada Wood-nettle
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm090405_029
April Walker County GA
The Pocket on Pigeon Mountain
)
JK Marlow jkm120424_528
April Pickens County SC
Jocassee Gorges
Often forms the dominant herbaceous layer in rich cove forests by midsummer, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont.
)
Keith Bradley kab_l_canadensis_0703
May Richland County SC
Three Rivers Greenway
)
JK Marlow jkm100730_259
July Jackson County NC
Balsam Mountain Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm100730_263
July Jackson County NC
Balsam Mountain Preserve
Leaves alternate, broadly ovate, sharply toothed, 3-6" long, per Wildflowers of Tennessee.
)
Tim Spira tpslcanadensis
July
Flowers in terminal & axillary panicles: the upper female, lower male, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC.
)
JK Marlow jkm150808_666
August McDowell County? NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm210824_3059
August Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
)
JK Marlow jkm210824_3062
August Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
Leaves egg-shaped and coarsely toothed; stem bristly with stinging hairs, per Newcomb's Wildflower Guide.
COMPARE
False Nettle, Wood Nettle and Stinging Nettle
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_091421gsmnp46
September Blount County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
)
JK Marlow jkm111008_813
October Jackson County NC
Balsam Mountain Preserve
Achenes crescent-shaped, pendulous on winged pedicels, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Laportea canadensis
FAMILY
Urticaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Laportea canadensis
FAMILY
Urticaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 059-01-001:
Laportea canadensis
FAMILY
Urticaceae
(?)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Urticastrum divaricatum
796
Forb
Perennial
Monoecious
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (rare in Coastal Plain)
Habitat: Moist, nutrient-rich forests, seepage swamps, especially abundant in cove forests in the Mountains and bottomlands in the Piedmont, per Weakley's Flora
Click here to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Stinging trichomes present
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Greenish
Unisexual
Staminate flowers=Radially symmetrical; Pistillate=Bilaterally symmetrical
5 sepals in staminate flowers, 4 sepals in pistillate flowers
Petals absent
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC p137
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide p416
- Southern Appalachian Wildflowers p198
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast p467
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition p060
- Wildflowers of Tennessee p050
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians p071
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont p395