Urtica parviflora Roxb. (1814: 67)

Becker, Karin, Grosse-Veldmann, Bernadette & Weigend, Maximilian, 2017, Weeding the nettles VI: Taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of the Southeast Asian Urtica fissa-clade (Urticaceae), Phytotaxa 323 (3), pp. 217-236 : 234

5. Urtica parviflora Roxb. (1814: 67) . Fig. 8

Type:— INDIA. Uttar Pradesh: Rohilcund [=Rohilkhand], 1803, A. Gott s.n. (holotype not localized). Iconotype:—R. [Roxburgh] No. 1909 (photograph of the plate at Calcutta). Epitype (here designated):— INDIA. Himachal Pradesh: Upper Dharamsala, ca. 2000 m, 25 Mar. 2013, source collection by H. Binski 25 March 2013, cultivated in the Botanical Gardens of the University of Bonn, B. Grosse-Veldmann, K. Becker & A. Mustafa 136-C (epitype BONN!, isoepitypes B!, HUH!, K!, MO!).

= Urtica ardens Link (1822: 385) . Type:— NEPAL. Bagmati: Along side of road below Royal Drug Research Laboratory, Godavari, Kathmandu Valley, 28 June 1987, W. Codon & A. Codon (neotype (here designated) MO! (MO_4320803)).

= Urtica virulenta Wall. (1831: 4586) . nom. nud., specimen:— Nepal. 1821, Wallich 4586 (K! (K_001039385)).

Erect, perennial herb 0.7–1.5 m, form perennial root and with pleiokorm of perennating underground stems; stem indumentum of stinging hairs with pluricellular base 3.0– 4.5 mm long overall, setae 1.8–3.5 mm, and with simple trichomes ca. 0.1 mm long; indumentum is ontogenetically variable: vegetative basal part of the plant with conspicuously more and shorter stinging hairs than the generative part; leaf lamina ovate-lanceolate, 50–80 × 35– 15 mm, leaf margin dentate with 15–30 major teeth on each side, teeth 1–3 mm long, occasionally some teeth irregularly dentate with minor teeth ca. 0.5–1 mm long, leaf base rounded, leaf apex aristate; leaf indumentum of stinging hairs with pluricellular base 2.0– 3.5 mm long overall, setae 1.6–3.0 mm, and with simple trichomes 0.1–0.2 mm long; leaf surface with punctiform cystoliths; petioles 20–60 mm long; 4 stipules, forming 2 fused pairs per node, occasionally incised distally, 5–10 mm long, elongated; plant monoecious, usually staminate flowers basal, carpellate flowers apical; staminate flowers with tepals ca. 1.0 mm long, pubescent; pistillate flowers with tepals ca. 0.2 mm long, pubescent; infructescence 50–100 mm; mature fruits with longer tepals 1.2–1.5 mm long, achenes suborbicular in outline, laterally flattened, ca. 1.2 × 1.5 mm.

Note: — Urtica ardens and U. virulenta are here treated as synonyms of U. parviflora , this is clear from the type material (in U. virulenta ) respectively the description (in U. ardens ). The taxon considered as U. ardens in Chen et al. (2003) therefore has to be correctly called U. himalayensis .

Distribution and Habitat: — U. parviflora is restricted to the Himalayas and is here reported from Nepal, the Indian provinces Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, Tibet and Kashmir (nowadays parts of northern India, eastern Pakistan and western China). U. parviflora is found on roadsides and in the understory of forests at intermediate elevations.

Phenology:— U. parviflora flowers throughout the year.

Conservation status: —Using IUCN criteria ( IUCN 2016), Urtica parviflora Roxb. is considered “Least Concern” (LC).

Representative specimens:— INDIA. Sikkim: 1855, J.D. Hooker s.n. (P_06855887!) ;— KASHMIR [nowadays parts from India, Pakistan & China]. Jammu and Kashmir [India]: Drained lake basin of Kashmir, environs of Srinagger , within a circle of 8 miles radius, 10 Aug. to 30 Sep. 1856, Schlagintweit 4367 (P_06855889!) ;— NEPAL. Wallich 4586 (K_001039385!) ; Bagmati: Along side of road below Royal Drug Research Laboratory, Godavari , Kathmandu Valley , 28 June 1987, W. Codon & A. Codon (MO_4320803!) ;— TIBET. Nyalam: Nepal friendship bridge, 18 Aug. 1992, J. Chen s.n. (PE_00565204! & PE_00565205!) ;— Unidentified localities: Collector unknown (P_06855892!)

Figures

FIGURE 8. Urtica parviflora (all B. Grosse-Veldmann, K. Becker & A. Mustafa 136-C): A. Habit, B. Node with fused stipules, C. Typical leaves, D. Infructescence, E. Female inflorescence, F. Male inflorescence. Scale bar:A, C = 5 cm; B, D–F = 1 cm.