Hesperocnide sandwicensis
A Hawaiian native annual nettle with stinging hairs grows briefly each spring after winter rains in high-elevation subalpine habitats, reaches up to about 2 feet, bears white-green flowers and tiny ovoid achenes, is limited to 1–1000 individuals, and faces threats from grazing, invasive plants, fire, and military activities.
Common Names
Hawai'i Stingingnettle, Hawaiian Stinging Nettle
Summary
Hawai'i stingingnettle is an endemic Hawaiian annual herb in the Urticaceae family that grows as an erect plant from 20 to 60 cm tall. It is hispid throughout with stiff, erect stinging hairs on leaves and stems, and leaves are very thin, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 1.5 to 7 cm long with margins serrate, occurring in the understory of subalpine dry forests on Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and Hualālai on the Island of Hawai'i, with a painful sting retained on contact.
Its life cycle is annual after winter rains in spring, with growth lasting a few months before dying back. Populations are small, with fewer than 1000 plants and fewer than 3 occurrences, and grazing by invasive sheep, goats, and pigs poses a threat. Global status is G3 (Vulnerable) and Hawaii status S3.2, with a conservation need to protect all occurrences.
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
8-23.5 inches
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally partial shade; partial sun to full shade.
Soil Type
Loam, sandy loam soils.
Soil Drainage
Well-drained, quick-draining soil (loam or sandy loam)
Soil pH
5.5-7.5, Acidic to neutral
Bloom Color
White, Green
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Growth Rate
Annual
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Winter
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings, Division
Attracts Wildlife
No wildlife attracted
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Wedd.) Wedd.
- Publication
- Prodr. 16(1): 68 (1869)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Rosales
- Family
- Urticaceae
- Genus
- Hesperocnide