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Why are nettles able to form large colonies?
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Rosales
Red garden roses (Rosa hybrid). Whereas wild roses have only five petals, most hybrid varieties have been bred to produce numerous petals in a wide range of colours.
Nettles, such as the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), are able to form large, extensive colonies in a short amount of time because they grow underground stems known as rhizomes.1
These rhizomes allow the plants to spread vegetatively, enabling them to occupy significant areas and grow densely enough to potentially prevent the growth of other plant species.1