This species-poor community is dominated by Heracleum mantegazzianum, a broad-leaved forb growing up to 4 m in height, which is a neophyte originating from the Caucasus. H. mantegazzianum spreads both in natural and semi-natural habitats, e.g. in abandoned meadows and orchards, on roadsides, in scrub fringes and on stream banks. Open, disturbed sites are colonized most rapidly. Soils are wet to mesic and rich in nutrients. Urtico-Heracleetum occurs throughout the Czech Republic, being more common in precipitation-rich areas and in the western part of the country.