It is native to Eurasia, including the Himalayan regions of Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Sikkim in India and can be found in North America, New Zealand and South Africa as an introduced species.

[1] Unlike the perennial and dioecious stinging nettle Urtica dioica, Urtica urens is an annual plant, monoecious (with male and female flowers on the same plant) and generally much shorter.

The lower leaves are shorter than their longer petioles and have stinging hairs only.

[2]: 305 [3]: 36 The native distribution of Urtica urens includes most of Europe except the British Isles, northern Asia, north and north-west Africa.

Papilio gonerilla), and the Australian / New Zealand yellow admiral butterfly (Vanessa itea).