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Parietaria judaica
Also called Pellitory-of-the-wall, Wall Pellitory
Spreading pellitory is a low, sprawling perennial herb in the nettle family, often found growing from walls, cracks and waste ground in towns. It is an easy, weedy plant that thrives in poor, disturbed soil and in full to partial sun.
Parietaria judaica, spreading pellitory, is a species of herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae. It is native to the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, and is widely established worldwide as an urban weed. Its pollen is a significant cause of asthma and other allergies in warmer countries, but it is also valued as a contributor to biodiversity in polluted cities and it has been used as a medicinal herb.
Spreading pellitory is a native of Macaronesia, N. Africa, Europe to Central Asia and Central Himalaya but has been introduced to parts of north and south Americas, Scandinavia and Australia.
The pollen of spreading pellitory is one of the leading causes of respiratory allergies (asthma and rhinitis) in the Mediterranean region, particularly at peak flowering times in the spring and autumn. One study estimated that the huge population of pellitory in a city in Greece could produce as many as 5.4 billion pollen grains per square metre during the spring months, causing many medical problems.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Parietaria judaica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
