Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Pennsylvania Pellitory (Parietaria pensylvanica)
- Family: Nettle (Urticaceae)
- Flowering: May-October.
- Field Marks: Pellitory is recognized by its long-tapering alternate leaves, the lack of stinging hairs on the
stems, and the small axillary clusters of green flowers.
- Habitat: Moist soil in woods, under overhanging
- Habit: Annual herb with a tuft of roots.
- Stems: Erect or sprawling, branched or unbranched,
hairy, up to 15 inches tall.
- Leaves: Alternate, simple, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, long-tapering to a rounded tip, tapering to the base,
without teeth, hairy, very thin, up to 2 1/2 inches long.
- Flowers: Several flowers crowded into small axillary
clusters, some of the flowers perfect, some male only, some
female only, all often in the same cluster on the same plant,
each flower green, about 1/12 inch long, surpassed by bracts.
- Sepals: 4, green, united below.
- Petals: 0.
- Stamens: 4.
- Pistils: Ovary superior.
- Fruits: Achenes ovoid, smooth, shiny, about 1/20 inch
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