Flora of North America species comparison

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Parietaria judaica

Urticaceae

spreading pellitory

nettle family
Habit Herbs, perennial from crown, 1-8dm. Herbs or small shrubs [lianas, trees], herbs annual or rhizomatous perennial, usually pubescent, sometimes with stinging hairs, deciduous.
Stems

ascending, erect, or decumbent.

Leaves

blades narrowly to broadly elliptic, lance-elliptic, or ovate, 1.3-9 × 0.8-4.5 cm, base attenuate, cuneate, or broadly rounded, apex abruptly acuminate to long-attenuate.

blades paired, equal in size (except in Pilea, which may have unequally paired leaves), dotted with linear or rounded marks formed by cystoliths (variously shaped calcium carbonate crystals inside epidermal cells).
Inflorescences

axillary or terminal, of paniculately or racemosely arranged cymes, or spikelike.
Flowers

involucral bracts 1.5-2.5 mm;

tepals ca. 2-3.5 mm, longer than bracts.

bisexual or unisexual (staminate or pistillate), staminate and pistillate flowers on same or different plants;

perianth hypogynous.
Staminate flowers

usually pedicellate;

tepals 4-5, white or green;

stamens 4-5, equaling tepals in number;

filaments inflexed in bud, reflexing suddenly as flowers open;

anthers basifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits;

pollen ejected explosively;

pistillode 1.
Pistillate flowers

usually sessile;

tepals 2-4, hypogynous, greenish or reddish, distinct or connate;

staminodes present or absent;

pistil 1, 1-locular;

placentation basal;

ovule1;

style present or stigma sessile;

stigma linear [capitate];

Bisexual flowers: tepals 4;

stamens 4;

pistil 1.
Fruits

achenes, free or loosely or tightly surrounded by persistent, accrescent perianth.
Achenes

dark brown, symmetric, 1-1.2 × 0.6-0.9 mm, apex acute, mucro absent or minute;

stipe centered, on cylindric base.

Parietaria judaica

Urticaceae
Phenology Flowering all year, with peak in late winter–spring.
Habitat Cracks in sidewalks, ballast heaps, waste places, frequently about ports and coastal areas
Elevation 0-200 m (0-700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; FL; LA; MI; NJ; NY; PA; TX; Eurasia; n Africa [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Nearly worldwide; primarily tropical and subtropical regions
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Parietaria judaica, which, in North America, is most abundant in scattered localities in California, is the only long-lived perennial species of Parietaria in the flora. Because of confusion in Europe over the correct name, plants in North America have been called P. judaica, P. officinalis of authors, not Linnaeus, P. officinalis var. erecta (Mertens & Koch) Weddell, and P. officinalis var. diffusa (Mertens & Koch) Weddell. For a clarification of the nomenclature and taxonomy of this complex, see C.C. Townsend (1968).

Parietaria judaica was first reported from Louisiana as P. diffusa Mertens & Koch, another name commonly used on herbarium specimens (J.W. Thieret 1969).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Genera ca. 45, species ca. 800 (8 genera, 21 species in the flora).

Cystoliths cause patterns on epidermal surfaces. Forms of the cystoliths given in descriptions are readily discernible from surface patterns.

Stinging hairs in Urticaceae have a distinct bulbous or cylindric base and a stiff, translucent apex. Nonstinging hairs are soft and flexible and lack a bulbous or cylindric base.

The compounds producing the stinging sensation caused by contact with some members of Urticaceae have been reported to be histamine, acetylcholine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and, in extracts from which the other three have been removed, an unknown substance that produces pain (E. L. Thurston and N. R. Lersten 1969). E. L. Thurston (1969) was not able to find these compounds in Urtica chamaedryoides using analytic techniques, but J. M. Kingsbury (1964, p. 67) reported that the same species "...contains toxicologically significant amounts of acetylcholine and histamine." The tip of the stinging hair breaks off upon slight contact, leaving a sharp point that readily pierces skin and allows fluid contents of the hair to enter flesh through the body of the hair, which acts as a miniature hypodermic needle.

Economically the Urticaceae are most important for their fibers (see D. W. Woodland 1989). They can be troublesome weeds (species of Urtica and Parietaria), pot herbs (species of Pilea in the tropics, of Urtica in temperate zones), and frequently cultivated ornamentals (Pilea) (I. Friis 1993).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Plants with stinging hairs (hairs with distinct bulbous or cylindric base and stiff, translucent apex); tepals of pistillate flowers 2 or 4, distinct or connate and completely enclosing ovary and achene.
→ 2
1. Plants without stinging hairs (hairs, if any, soft and flexible and without bulbous or cylindric base); tepals of bisexual and pistillate flowers 3-4, distinct or connate forming tubular perianth, or perianth appearing absent.
→ 4
2. Leaves alternate; style present, persistent even in fruit.
Laportea
2. Leaves opposite; style absent.
→ 3
3. Tepals of pistillate flowers distinct, inner 2 equal to achene, outer 2 smaller, without hooked hairs.
Urtica
3. Tepals of pistillate flowers connate, forming saclike structure tightly enclosing mature achene, covered with delicate, hooked hairs.
Hesperocnide
4. Leaves opposite or alternate.
→ 5
4. Leaves alternate.
→ 6
5. Plants glabrous; cystoliths linear.
Pilea
5. Plants pubescent; cystoliths rounded.
Boehmeria
6. Blade margins dentate or serrate.
Boehmeria
6. Blade margins entire.
→ 7
7. Bracts subtending pistillate flowers developing 3 corky wings covered with fine, hooked hairs in fruit; leaves with elongate, linear cystoliths.
Soleirolia
7. Bracts subtending pistillate flowers not developing corky wings or hooked hairs in fruit; leaves with rounded cystoliths.
→ 8
8. Stipules absent (but axillary involucral bracts appear stipular); tepals distinct, ascending, loosely enclosing achene; achenes acute or mucronate.
Parietaria
8. Stipules present; tepals connate, appressed to, and tightly enclosing achene; achenes acute, not mucronate.
Pouzolzia
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3, p. 400. Author: David E. Boufford.
Parent taxa Urticaceae > Parietaria
Sibling taxa
P. floridana, P. hespera, P. pensylvanica, P. praetermissa
Subordinate taxa
Boehmeria, Hesperocnide, Laportea, Parietaria, Pilea, Pouzolzia, Soleirolia, Urtica
Name authority Linnaeus: Fl. Palaest., 32. (1756) Jussieu
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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