#urticaceae
Most species in Urticaceae are herbs or shrubs, but in NSW and QLD Dendrocnide excelsa is a giant tree, it provides food for many insects, birds and small mammals, and is home to epiphytic orchids and ferns. DO AVOID touching it, its stinging hairs will make sure you regret it.
Puccinia urticata on Urtica dioica
It’s hard to walk by banks covered in common nettle without noticing this fiery and gruesome rust fungus taking hold of and deforming the plant’s limbs.
It’s best described as a species complex with a life cycle which might alternate between two hosts- in the British Isles often a nettle (U. dioica or U. urens) and a sedge (mostly Carex sp.), but its ‘sub-species’ can also be found on Aster and Ribes.
Here you can see some beautiful up-close photos of its structures.
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