Small Nettle (Urtica urens) – Weeds of Melbourne

Small Nettle (Urtica urens), a cosmopolitan Eurasian weed naturalised and recorded in Victoria from 1883. The species most likely arrived in contaminated seed, although we shouldn’t rule out the possibility that it was brought here to be grown as a medicinal. Since establishing here, it has been adopted as a food plant by the Yellow Admiral butterfly (Vanessa itea), whose larvae were adapted to feed on native nettles and pellitories. As annuals, these plants are emerging at the moment, keep your eyes peeled and your hands safe from the stings!