Species:
	Urtica linearifolia
Common Name(s):
	swamp nettle
Threat Status:
	Declining
Status 2004:
	Gradual Decline
Authority:
	Urtica linearifolia (Hook.f.) Cockayne
Qualifiers:
	Sp
Family:
	Urticaceae
Flora Category:
	Vascular - Native
Synonyms:
	Urtica incisa var. linearifolia Hook.f.
Distribution:
	North and South Island.
Habitat:
	Fertile, lowland swamps, lakes and river margins, swampy shrubland and forest, often growing over tree stumps and rushes.
Features:
	Sparingly branched herb which inflicts a painful sting. Stems up to 2m tall. Leaves opposite, narrow, 3-8cm long, 5-12mm wide, sharply toothed with teeth 1-2mm long. Branchlets, leaf stalks and leaves sparsely clad in stinging hairs. Flowers inconspicuous, green to reddish, mealy, clustered in short spikes in leaf axils. Fruit small, 1-1.5mm long, dry, brown and one seeded.
Similar Taxa:
	Other nettle species. Swamp nettle has narrower, longer leaves than other nettle species and grows in wetland habitat. The plant is not woody.
Flowering:
	Flowering occurs throughout the year
Fruiting:
	Fruits may be found throughout the year
Propagation Technique:
	Very easy from rooted pieces, stem cuttings and fresh seed. Often spontaenously self-sows in cultivation.
Threats:
	A sparsely distributed species of lowland to montane lake margins and fertile to semi-fertile wetlands. Easily overlooked because of its penchant for grow at the base of Carex secta trunks, or threaded through Phormium tenax. Being an adaptable species it is often found within willow (Salix spp.) car, sometimes as a low epiphyte on willow trunks. In all these habitats it is at risk from wetland clearance, drainage and also the spread of weeds such as wandering jew (Tradescantia fluminensis). Some large populations in the Horowhenua have been destroyed by the canalisation of streams and through willow control.
Chromosome No.:
	2n = 24
Endemic Taxon:
	Yes
Endemic Genus:
	No
Endemic Family:
	No

Where To Buy
Not commericially available. Some plants are held by specialist native plant growers and botanic gardens. An attractive plant but with a viscous sting! Will hybridise readily with U. aspera and U. incisa. Hybrids of which have been collected from the wild and in cultivation.

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Last updated: 18 Jan 2010