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Questions and Answers: 2016

Question: I would like to point out to your attention that in the page of your site https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/urtica/dioica/ there is a …

• Question

  I would like to point out to your attention that in the page of your site https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/urtica/dioica/ there is a picture http://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Urticaceae/urtica-dioica-ha-atal.jpg with the indication of staminate and carpellate flowers on the same plant. Being the discussed plant Urtica dioica, I imagine that the picture is not correctly attributed. Thanks for your attention. Massimo Pautrier - Roma, Italy

  Answer

  Dear massimo, thank you for your comment here--we are always happy to receive possible edits so that we can make the website more accurate. In this case, the image is correctly identified. In northeastern North America, there are two subspecies of Urtica dioca. One of these is subspecies gracilis, a plant that is moneocious (with both sexes of flowers on the same plant), unlike subspecies dioica (which has the different sexes of flowers on separate plants). The former subspecies is now being regarded as a distinct species (Urtica gracilis), so you will see this change reflected in the not too distant future when we begin to update the taxonomy on the site. Thank you again and best wishes.