Urtica thunbergiana is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of the genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 Urtica. It is found in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, mainland China

Mainland China

Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...

 and Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

. The habitat if the species is moist forests in the mountains. It is in flower from July to September, and its seeds ripen from August to October. The larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e of Vanessa indica

Vanessa indica

Vanessa indica, called the Asian Admiral in the United States and the Indian Red Admiral elsewhere, is a butterfly found in the higher altitude regions of India. It is a close relative of the Painted Lady.-Description:...

, a species of butterfly, are known to feed on U. thunbergiana.

U. thunbergiana has a Chinese name commonly used in Taiwan--yǎorénmao (Traditional Chinese: 咬人貓; literally: "biting cat")--and another name commonly used in mainland China--yǎorénxúnmá (Simplified Chinese: 咬人荨麻; literally: "biting nettle").

External links

• Urtica thunbergiana – Plants For A Future database
• Urtica thunbergiana – Flora of China @ efloras.org
• Flowers of European urtica