176 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 
36. URTICACEAE. Nettle Family. 
Usually coarse, monoecious, dicecious, or polygamous herbs, often armed with 
stinging hairs; leaves simple, opposite or alternate; flowers inconspicuous, greenish, 
in axillary simple or compound cymes, 
KEY TO THE GENERA. 
Plants armed with stinging hairs; leaves opposite; inflores- 
cence not involucrate. ...........-. 6s eee eee eee eee 1. Urtica (p. 176). 
Plants without stinging hairs; leaves opposite or alternate; 
inflorescence various. 
Flower clusters not involucrate; leaves opposite......... 2. BonHMmeERrta (p. 176). 
Flower clusters surrounded by an involucre; leaves 
alternate... 2.22... ce cece eee eee eee ee ee cece eee 3. Parrerarta (p. 177). 
1. URTICA L. Nertrte. 
Coarse annual or perennial herbs armed with stinging hairs; leaves opposite, toothed; 
flowers in axillary cymes, these often panicled; achenes flattened. 
Our species are inconspicuous plants found chiefly in moist, shaded places in the 
mountains. 
KEY TO THE SPECIES. 
Teeth of the leaves ovate, strongly directed forward; stems armed 
with rather few stinging hairs, otherwise glabrous; leaves 
lanceolate. ...... ccc eee ee ee cee ee ce cece tee e ee enee 1. U. gracilis, 
Teeth of the leaves broadly triangular, salient, not strongly directed 
forward; stems armed with numerous stinging hairs, strigose; 
leaves commonly ovate.........- 2.2... e eee cece eee eee -- 2. U. gracilenta. 
1. Urtica gracilis Ait. Hort. Kew. 3: 341. 1789. 
Type toca.ity: ‘‘Native of Hudson’s Bay.’’ 
RanGE: British America to Arizona, Texas, and Louisiana, 
New Mexico: Carrizo Mountains; Chama; Santa Fe and Las Vegas mountains; 
Clayton; Sandia Mountains; Mogollon Mountains; White Mountains, Damp woods and 
canyons, in the Transition Zone. 
2. Urtica gracilenta Greene, Bull. Torrey Club 8: 122. 1881. 
TyPE LocaLity: Mimbres Mountains, New Mexico. Type collected by E. L. 
Greene. 
Rance: New Mexico and Arizona, 
New Mexico: Mogollon Mountains; Organ Mountains; White Mountains. Damp 
thickets, in the Upper Sonoran and Transition zones. 
2. BOEHMERIA Jacq. FAatsk NETTLE. 
A coarse stout unarmed perennial herb, 30 to 80 cm. high, with opposite, petioled, 
pubescent, coarsely serrate, lanceolate leaves; flowers in axillary spikes; stems finely 
pubescent. 
1. Boehmeria scabra (Porter) Small, Fl. Southeast. U.S. 358. 1903. 
Boehmeria cylindrica scabra Porter, Bull. Torrey Club 16: 21. 1889. 
Type Loca.ity: ‘‘Crawford and Lancaster counties,’’ Pennsylvania. 
RanGeE: New York to Michigan, Florida, and New Mexico. 
New Mexico: Roswell (Earle 265). 
