Urtica dioica (stinging nettles) have both male and female flowers, undergo alteration of generations and use

the wind to aid in pollination- Reproduction

Urtica dioica (Stinging Nettles)

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The Love Life of Urtica dioica

Urtica dioica is a perennial, flowering plant that
blooms from summer into late fall. It produces
small green flowers in clusters on strands that are
about 3 inches in length. These strands are
attached to the leaf axils between the stem of the
plant and the stem of a leaf. The nettle produces
both male and female flowers. The male flowers
grow in smaller, loose clusters called racemes that
are positioned near the top of the plant. The male
plant contains four sepals at each leaf axial and the
raceme is contained within these sepals during the
bud stage. When the plant reaches maturity the
racemes uncurl and spring out, exposing the
stamen and allowing them to fling their pollen into
the wind.
The racemes remain pointed upward for the
duration of the plants flowering stage. The
female flowers grow in more dense, strand-like
clusters off of the leaf axils. Many of these
strands grow out of each leaf axial and droop
downward. Often there are so many flowers that
a portion of the stem is covered. Each flower
contains an ovary with a single seeded carpel, a
style and a stigma surrounding it. When a grain
of pollen is blown into the wind to a female
flower, the stigma captures the grain and it
travels down to the ovary. The plant is pollinated
once the pollen reaches the ovary where it then
grows into a small fruit. This fruit contains the only seed produced by each flower of
the stinging nettle. The fruit eventually dries and the seed is blown off of the plant to
grown into a new individual.
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2011/homolka_kail/reproduction.htm[23.9.2015. 13:27:25]

Urtica dioica (stinging nettles) have both male and female flowers, undergo alteration of generations and use the wind to aid in pollination- Reproduction

The stinging nettle is a flowering plant that, like all plants, exhibits alteration of
generations. The pollen produced by the male flowers is haploid (1n) meaning that it
contains one set of chromosomes. Similarly, the ovary within the female flower is
haploid (1n). When these two gametes meet, fertilization occurs and the fertilized
gametes become one diploid (2n) organism called a zygote. The zygote then
undergoes mitosis to create a multicellular diploid (2n) organism called a
sporophyte.The sporophyte then undergoes
meiosis to produce haploid (1n) spores. These
spores will become either the stepal or ovary
portion of the plant once it is mature. The
mature plant is called a gametophyte and is a
result of the spores becoming multicellular
haploids (n). This mature plant can then produce
haploid (1n) gametes in the form of pollen if it is
a male plant and ovaries if it is a female plant.
The then cycle continues.
Below is the alternation of generations life cycle that plants, including Urtica dioica,
undergo.

Learn how stinging nettles interact with other organisms.

Kailee Homolka homolka.kail@uwlax.edu April 2011

http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2011/homolka_kail/reproduction.htm[23.9.2015. 13:27:25]

Urtica dioica (stinging nettles) have both male and female flowers, undergo alteration of generations and use the wind to aid in pollination- Reproduction
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