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Urtica massaica is a rhizomatous perennial nettle from East and Central Africa, growing up to 2 m tall in glades and clearings, often near houses. Its covered stinging hairs make it best handled with gloves.
Urtica massaica is a species of flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, referred to in English as the Maasai stinging nettle or forest nettle. It is native to Africa, where it can be found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania; it is found in natural glades and clearings, frequently near houses.
This plant is a rhizomatous perennial herb up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) tall. It is covered in stinging hairs. The heart-shaped leaves are up to 13 centimetres (5.1 in) long by 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) wide and have serrated edges. The plant is dioecious. The flowers are borne in panicles.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Urtica massaica 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.
