Specimens of plant parasitic nematode species Heterodera ripae were isolated from the root zone of common nettle (Urtica dioica), a perennial growing near agricultural fields in Winna Góra near Poznań (Wielkopolska region, Poland). The species identity was confirmed by analyses of the structure of the vulval cyst cones, morphology and anatomy of J2, measurements of both developmental stages as well as analyses of the rDNA and mtCOI sequences. Molecular analyses of the Polish H. ripae 28S rDNA sequence revealed that it was the most similar to the H. ripae sequences from South Korea and clustered with them in a phylogenetic tree near a closely related H. ripae from China and H. humuli. Similarly, the mtCOI sequence of the Polish H. ripae population clustered with most H. ripae sequences deriving from Europe and Asia, however it was more distantly related to the sequence from China. Under controlled conditions, H. ripae pathogenicity and potential harmfulness was tested on three plants: common nettle (U. dioica) which served as a control, buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), and sorrel (Rumex acetosa). During the pathogenicity test, H. ripae did not develop new cysts, neither on the roots of F. esculentum nor R. acetosa. At a population of 100–120 nematode eggs and larvae, cysts of the nematode developed on the common nettle’s U. dioica roots, however plants showed no signs of growth inhibition. These numbers may have been too low to lead to plant starvation. It was recommended that soils intended for cultivation of U. dioica as a horticultural crop should be tested for the presence of H. ripae and that plantations of this plant should be monitored for the presence of other herbivorous nematodes, including cyst-forming species.