Big-Sting Nettle vs common greasewort

Urtica dioica compared with Aneura pinguis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big-Sting Nettle	common greasewort
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)
Order	Rosales (Roses & Allies)	Metzgeriales (Metzgeriales)
Family	Urticaceae	Aneuraceae
Genus	Urtica	Aneura
Species	Urtica dioica	Aneura pinguis

Evolutionary Relationship

Big-Sting Nettle and common greasewort share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Plantae. (Plants)

Conservation Status

Big-Sting Nettle

LC — Least Concern

common greasewort

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big-Sting Nettle	common greasewort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big-Sting Nettle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Japan, Turkey), Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (4 countries).

common greasewort

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

Big-Sting Nettle

The Big-Sting Nettle (Urtica dioica) is a species in the genus Urtica. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

common greasewort

<em>Aneura pinguis</em>, commonly known as common greasewort, is a liverwort belonging to the genus Aneura within the family Aneuraceae. This cryptogamic plant inhabits ecosystems across Asia, Europe, and North America, thriving in moist or waterlogged environments. Its range encompasses Taiwan in Asia, six European countries, the United States in North America, and Brazil and Colombia in South America, indicating a broad geographic distribution across multiple continents. Common greasewort is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The species typically forms flat, ribbon-like thalli in damp habitats such as stream banks, wet rocks, and boggy ground. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 8 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States