What is "urticaceae"

Urticaceous \Ur`ti*ca"ceous\, a. (Bot.) Of or pertaining to a natural order ( Urticace[ae]) of plants, of which the nettle is the type. The order includes also the hop, the elm, the mulberry, the fig, and many other plants.

The Urticaceae are a family, the nettle family, of flowering plants. The family name comes from the genus Urtica. The Urticaceae include a number of well-known and useful plants, including the nettles, ramie (Boehmeria nivea), māmaki ( Pipturus albidus), and ajlai ( Debregeasia saeneb).

The family includes about 2625 species, grouped into 53 genera according to the database of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Christenhusz and Byng (2016). The largest genera are Pilea (500 to 715 species), Elatostema (300 species), Urtica (80 species), and Cecropia (75 species).

Urticaceae species can be found worldwide, apart from the polar regions.