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Urticaceae Jussieu

荨麻科 qian ma ke

Authors: Jiarui Chen, Prof. Qi Lin, Ib Friis, C. Melanie Wilmot-Dear & Alex K. Monro





1 Filaments of stamens erect in bud; shrubs or woody climbers.   18 Poikilospermum
+ Filaments of stamens inflexed in bud; usually not woody climbers.   (2)
2 (1) Plants armed with stinging hairs; female flowers without staminodes.   (3)
+ Plants without stinging hairs; female flowers with or without staminodes.   (7)
3 (2) Leaves opposite; perianth lobes of female flowers free, lateral pair outer and much smaller than dorsiventral pair.   1 Urtica
+ Leaves alternate; perianth lobes of female flowers connate or if free then not as above.   (4)
4 (3) Stipules interpetiolar; achene straight, sessile; stigma penicillate-capitate; slender herb to 40 cm.   2 Nanocnide
+ Stipules intrapetiolar; achene strongly oblique, stipitate; stigma filiform, ligulate, or subulate; trees, shrubs or usually robust herbs.   (5)
5 (4) Female perianth with 3 lobes fused and the 4th absent or reduced to a bristle; robust herb with longest stinging hairs more than 5 mm.   5 Girardinia
+ Female perianth lobes 4, dorsal lobe largest, ventral lobe smallest, joined at base only, never bristle-like; ± woody shrub or tree or herbs with longest stinging hairs less than 5 mm.   (6)
6 (5) Stipules completely joined, apex entire; trees or shrubs; pedicels of female flowers absent or terete, not winged in fruit.   4 Dendrocnide
+ Stipules 2-fid at apex; herbs or subshrubs; pedicels of female flowers always present, winged in fruit.   3 Laportea
7 (2) Cystoliths usually linear or fusiform; stigma sessile, penicillate-capitate; perianth lobes of female flowers free or connate at base, staminodes present (except in Procris).   (8)
+ Cystoliths dotlike or very short blunt rods (botuliform); stigma often on a style, mostly linear, less often penicillate-capitate; perianth lobes of female flowers usually connate into a tube, rarely strongly reduced, or absent, staminodes absent.   (12)
8 (7) Leaves opposite, rarely spirally alternate and then leaf blade peltate; leaf blade usually symmetric.   (9)
+ Leaves alternate or very strongly heterophyllous with 1 leaf of the pair reduced to a nanophyll very much smaller than the other, leaves usually distichous; leaf blade usually asymmetric.   (10)
9 (8) Flowers usually forming loose cymes or cymose panicles, sometimes spikes or in clusters; achene without crested appendix at apex.   6 Pilea
+ Flowers inserted on discoid or concave, fleshy receptacle; achene with crested or U-shaped appendix at apex.   7 Lecanthus
10 (8) Perianth lobes of female flowers usually 4 or 5, much shorter than ovary, or strongly reduced, not corniculate at apex; achene 6-10-ribbed; male inflorescences usually with receptacle, rarely cymose; female inflorescences with discoid receptacle and bracteoles along margin.   9 Elatostema
+ Perianth lobes of female flowers 3-5, longer than ovary, usually corniculate below apex; achene tuberculate or striate, rarely smooth, never ribbed; male inflorescences cymose; female inflorescences cymose or captitate on globose receptacle.   (11)
11 (10) Female inflorescences cymose, rarely with discoid receptacle and involucre; perianth lobes of female flowers (4 or)5; staminodes present.   8 Pellionia
+ Female inflorescences capitate on globose receptacle, but without involucre; perianth lobes of female flowers 3 or 4; staminodes absent.   10 Procris
12 (7) Stipules absent; flowers sometimes bisexual, each subtended by 1 or more leaflike bracts longer than the flower, contrasting with the chaffy brown perianth and glossy black achene.   24 Parietaria
+ Stipules present; flowers unisexual, bracts and flowers not as above.   (13)
13 (12) Inflorescence enclosed within involucre, usually bisexual with several male flowers surrounding 1 or 2 female flowers; male flower with 1 stamen; female flower without perianth.   25 Droguetia
+ Inflorescence without involucre, often unisexual; male flower with 3-5 stamens; female flower with tubular perianth around ovary.   (14)
14 (13) Leaves opposite.   (15)
+ Leaves alternate.   (20)
15 (14) Leaf blade margin entire.   (16)
+ Leaf blade margin serrate or dentate.   (17)
16 (15) Male buds truncate, perianth with annular, often villous, crown formed from transverse crests of lobes; leaf blade 3-veined from base.   15 Gonostegia
+ Male flowers without this combination of characters; leaf blade with at least 2 major lateral veins arising clearly above base.   14 Pouzolzia
17 (15) Stigma ovoid-capitate, on short style; stipules persistent, reflexed at flowering; slender stoloniferous herb.   13 Chamabainia
+ Stigma elongated; stipules often deciduous; shrub or herb, not stoloniferous.   (18)
18 (17) Stigma minute, less than 0.5 mm, hooked, persistent; fruit symmetrically enlarged at apex; inflorescences paired at nodes, sessile, ± globose, very dense with base partly enveloping stem.   16 Cypholophus
+ Stigma relatively long, variously curved [but if hooked then more than 1 mm], sometimes deciduous; fruit ± symmetric at apex, often winged; inflorescence various, often pedunculate, if sessile then base not enveloping stem.   (19)
19 (18) Achene not lustrous, remaining attached to perianth; stigma persistent.   12 Boehmeria
+ Achene lustrous, easily detached from perianth; stigma usually deciduous.   14 Pouzolzia
20 (14) Stigma filiform or ligulate.   (21)
+ Stigma penicillate, peltate or ringlike.   (24)
21 (20) Stigma ligulate.   11 Archiboehmeria
+ Stigma filiform.   (22)
22 (21) Female perianth fleshy at maturity, apex with tiny, entire opening, lobes completely fused; style deciduous.   19 Pipturus
+ Female perianth not fleshy, apex minutely 2-toothed; style often persistent.   (23)
23 (22) Achene not lustrous, remaining attached to perianth; stigma persistent.   12 Boehmeria
24 (20) Inflorescence elongated with short lateral branches, all axes completely hidden by very closely spaced flowers; stigma ringlike.   17 Sarcochlamys
+ Inflorescence globose or nearly so or, if more elongated and branched then axes exposed between discrete glomerules of flowers; stigma peltate or penicillate.   (25)
25 (24) Stigma peltate with long ciliate hairs along margin; achene adnate to thinly fleshy perianth, surrounded at base or almost wholly enclosed by discoid or cuplike fleshy receptacle.   20 Oreocnide
+ Stigma penicillate; achene without fleshy receptacle.   (26)
26 (25) Perianth of female flowers inconspicuous, connate into a shallow pocket or absent; leaves usually discolorous, abaxially white tomentose.   23 Maoutia
+ Perianth of female flowers conspicuous, connate into a tube; leaves sometimes concolorous.   (27)
27 (26) Female perianth small, cupular, 4 or 5-lobed or -toothed, adnate to base of ovary; inflorescences paired, unbranched pedunculate heads.   22 Leucosyke
+ Female perianth enclosing ovary, tube obovoid or jug-shaped, mouth contracted, very minutely 3- or 4-toothed, in fruit often enlarged, fleshy, and adnate to ovary, rarely membranous and free; inflorescences often branched.   21 Debregeasia

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