Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Parietaria judaica
Common name
Pellitory, Asthma Weed, Pellitory of the Wall, Wall Pellitory
Family
Urticaceae
Where found
Roadsides, gardens, walls, footpaths, embankments, rocky crevices, cliffs, coastal environs, seepage areas, and along streams. Mainly Sydney area and the Blue Mountains. Occasionally farther south.
Notes
Introduced perennial herb to 1 m high, or sprawling. Stems somewhat 4-angled, reddish brown to greenish-brown or green, densely covered in hooked or irregularly curled hairs and scattered glandular and curved simple hairs, sometimes becoming woody with age. Leaves alternating up the stems, 1–8 cm long, 5–30 mm wide, upper surface glossy, both surfaces distinctly hairy especially along the veins, tips pointed or with a small abrupt point, sometimes blunt. Leaf stalks 5-20 mm long. Male, female, and bisexual flowers in separate clusters on the same plant. Flowers greenish, often turning reddish or reddish-brown as they mature, with 4 'petals'. Female flowers about 2 mm long, bisexual flowers 3-3.5 mm long. Bisexual flowers numerous. Male and female flowers few. Flowers in 3-5 flowered clusters, often close together, forming many-flowered clusters. Flowers for most of the year.
The curled hairs on the plant make disperal easy by sticking to animals and people, especially from clothing and trousers and machinery.
General Biosecurity Duty all NSW.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Parietaria~judaica (accessed 30 January, 2021)
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