Urtica

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Urtica
Temporal range: Miocene–Recent
Illustration Urtica dioica0.jpg
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Urticaceae
Tribe: Urticeae
Genus: Urtica
L.
Species

See text

Synonyms

Hesperocnide

Urtica is a genus of flowering plants in the family Urticaceae. Many species have stinging hairs and may be called nettles or stinging nettles (the latter name applying particularly to U. dioica ). The generic name Urtica derives from the Latin for 'sting'.

Contents

Due to the stinging hairs, Urtica are rarely eaten by herbivores, but provide shelter for insects. The fiber has historically been used by humans, and cooking preparations exist.

Description

Urtica species grow as annuals or perennial herbaceous plants, rarely shrubs. They can reach, depending on the type, location and nutrient status, a height of 10–300 centimetres (4–118 inches). The perennial species have underground rhizomes. The green parts have stinging hairs. Their often quadrangular stems are unbranched or branched, erect, ascending or spreading.

Most leaves and stalks are arranged across opposite sides of the stem. The leaf blades are elliptic, lanceolate, ovate or circular. The leaf blades usually have three to five, rarely up to seven veins. The leaf margin is usually serrate to more or less coarsely toothed. The often-lasting bracts are free or fused to each other. The cystoliths are extended to more or less rounded.

In 1874, while in Collioure (south of France), French botanist Charles Naudin discovered that a strong wind lasting 24 hours rendered the stinging hairs of nettles harmless for an entire week. [2]

Taxonomy

Phylogeny

The last common ancestor of the genus originated in Eurasia, with fossils being known from the Miocene of Germany and Russia, subsequently dispersing worldwide. Several species of the genus have undergone long distance oceanic dispersal, such as Hesperocnide sandwicensis (native to Hawaii) and Urtica ferox (native to New Zealand). [3]

Species

Detail of a male flowering stinging nettle Urt.doi.mal.jpg
Detail of a male flowering stinging nettle
Detail of female flowering stinging nettle Urtica dioica (1).jpg
Detail of female flowering stinging nettle
The dotted bumps on the leaves of Urtica thunbergiana Xun Ma (Yao Ren Mao ) Urtica thunbergiana 20220406201651.jpg
The dotted bumps on the leaves of Urtica thunbergiana

A large number of species included within the genus in the older literature are now recognized as synonyms of Urtica dioica . Some of these taxa are still recognized as subspecies. [4] Genetic evidence indicates that the two species of Hesperocnide are part of this genus. [3]

Species in the genus Urtica, and their primary natural ranges, include:[ citation needed ]

Etymology

The generic name Urtica derives from the Latin for 'sting'. [6]

Ecology

Due to the stinging hairs, Urtica species are rarely eaten by herbivores, but provide shelter for insects such as aphids, butterfly larvae, and moths. [7] They are also consumed by caterpillars of numerous Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), such as the tortrix moth Syricoris lacunana and several Nymphalidae, e.g. Vanessa atalanta , a red admiral butterfly. [8]

Toxicity

Besides the stinging hairs in general, in New Zealand U. ferox is classified as a poisonous plant, most commonly upon skin contact. [9]

Uses

Fabric woven of nettle fiber was found in burial sites in Denmark dating to the Bronze Age, and in clothing fabric, sailcloth, fishing nets, and paper via the process called retting (microbial enzymatic degradation, similar to linen processing). [10] Other processing methods include mechanical and chemical. [11]

Culinary

Urtica is an ingredient in soups, omelettes, banitsa, purée, and other dishes. In Mazandaran, northern Iran, a soup (Āsh) is made using this plant. [12] Nettles were used in traditional practices to make nettle tea, juice, and ale, and to preserve cheeses, such as in Cornish Yarg. [10] [13]

In folklore

The stinging hairs of Urtica dioica Urtica dioica 2849 cropped.jpg
The stinging hairs of Urtica dioica

Asian

Milarepa, the Tibetan ascetic and saint, was reputed to have survived his decades of solitary meditation by subsisting on nothing but nettles; his hair and skin turned green and he lived to the age of 83. [14]

Caribbean

The Caribbean trickster figure Anansi appears in a story about nettles, in which he has to chop down a huge nettle patch in order to win the hand of the king's daughter. [15]

European

An old Scots rhyme about the nettle: [16]

Gin ye be for lang kail coo the nettle, stoo the nettle
Gin ye be for lang kail coo the nettle early
Coo it laich, coo it sune, coo it in the month o' June
Stoo it ere it's in the bloom, coo the nettle early
Coo it by the auld wa's, coo it where the sun ne'er fa's
Stoo it when the day daws, coo the nettle early.

Coo, cow, and stoo are all Scottish for cut back or crop (although, curiously, another meaning of "stoo" is to throb or ache), while "laich" means short or low to the ground. [17] Given the repetition of "early," presumably this is advice to harvest nettles first thing in the morning and to cut them back hard (which seems to contradict the advice of the Royal Horticultural Society). Alternatively, it may be recommending harvesting early in the year before the plants grow tall, as they become tough and stringy later. [18]

The English figure of speech "grasp the nettle", meaning to nerve oneself to tackle a difficult task, stems from a belief that nettles actually sting less if gripped tightly. This belief gave rise to a well-known poem by Aaron Hill:

Tender-handed, stroke a nettle,
And it stings you for your pains.
Grasp it like a man of mettle,
And it soft as silk remains.
'Tis the same, with common natures,
Use ’em kindly, they rebel:
But, be rough as Nutmeg-graters,
And the rogues obey you well. [19]

In Hans Christian Andersen's fairy-tale "The Wild Swans," the princess had to weave coats of nettles to break the spell on her brothers.

In the Brothers Grimm's fairy-tale "Maid Maleen", the princess and her maid must subsist on raw nettles while fleeing their war-ravaged kingdom. While standing in for the false bride during the wedding procession, she speaks to a nettle plant (which later proves her identity):

Oh, nettle-plant,
Little nettle-plant,
What dost thou here alone?
I have known the time
When I ate thee unboiled,
When I ate thee unroasted.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urticaceae</span> Family of flowering 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 nettles in the genus Urtica, ramie, māmaki, and ajlai.

<i>Urtica dioica</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Urticaceae

Urtica dioica, often known as common nettle, burn nettle, stinging nettle or nettle leaf, or just a nettle or stinger, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae. Originally native to Europe, much of temperate Asia and western North Africa, it is now found worldwide. The species is divided into six subspecies, five of which have many hollow stinging hairs called trichomes on the leaves and stems, which act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation upon contact.

<i>Lamium</i> Genus of flowering plants

Lamium (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successful weeds of crop fields and are now widely naturalised across much of the temperate world.

<i>Boehmeria</i> Genus of flowering plants

Boehmeria is a genus of 47 species of flowering plants in the nettle family Urticaceae. Of the species, 33 are indigenous to the Old World and 14 to the New World; no species is indigenous to both the Old and New Worlds. The species include herbaceous perennials, shrubs and small trees. Although related to the similar-looking species of the stinging nettles of genus Urtica, species of Boehmeria do not have stinging hairs. Because of the similarity in appearance, some species are commonly called "false nettles".

<i>Urtica ferox</i> Species of plant

Urtica ferox, commonly known as tree nettle and, in Māori, ongaonga, taraonga, taraongaonga, оr okaoka, is a species of nettle endemic to New Zealand. Unlike the other species in the genus Urtica found in New Zealand, all of which are herbaceous, ongaonga is a large woody shrub that can grow to a height of 3 m (9.8 ft), with the base of the stem reaching 12 cm (4.7 in) in thickness. It has large spines that can result in a painful sting that lasts several days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand red admiral</span> Species of butterfly

The New Zealand red admiral is a butterfly endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name is kahukura, which means "red cloak". The red admiral is a member of the family Nymphalidae, the subfamily Nymphalinae and the tribe Nymphalini. There are two subspecies: V. g. gonerilla, which occurs on the mainland of New Zealand, and V. g. ida, which occurs on the Chatham Islands.

<i>Pilea pumila</i> Species of flowering plant

Pilea pumila, commonly known as clearweed, Canadian clearweed, coolwort or richweed, is an herbaceous plant in the nettle family (Urticaceae). It is native to Asia and eastern North America, where it is broadly distributed.

<i>Urtica urens</i> Species of flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae

Urtica urens, commonly known as annual nettle, dwarf nettle, small nettle, dog nettle, or burning nettle, is a herbaceous annual flowering plant species in the nettle family Urticaceae. It is native to Eurasia, including the Himalayan regions of Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Sikkim in India and can be found in North America, New Zealand and South Africa as an introduced species. It is reputed to sting more strongly than common nettle.

<i>Anthophila fabriciana</i> Species of moth

Anthophila fabriciana, also known as the common nettle-tap, is a moth of the family Choreutidae first described in 1767 by Carl Linnaeus. The moth can be found flying around stinging nettles during the day.

<i>Urtica dioica <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> galeopsifolia</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Urtica dioica subsp. galeopsifolia, the fen nettle or stingless nettle, is a herbaceous perennial plant found in Europe. It is considered to be either a subspecies of stinging nettle, or a species in its own right: Urtica galeopsifolia.

Urtica massaica is a species of flowering plant in the Urticaceae known by many English names, including Maasai stinging nettle and forest nettle. It is native to Africa, where it can be found in Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

Urtica lalibertadensis is a species of the genus Urtica. It differs from U. leptostachya in its subscandent habit and the deflexed stinging hairs on the glabrous stem, and by the presence of numerous stinging hairs on the perigon of the female flowers and individual stinging hairs on the perigon of the male flower. It is a very abundant species in Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stinging plant</span> Plant with hairs (trichomes) on its leaves or stems

A stinging plant or a plant with stinging hairs is a plant with hairs (trichomes) on its leaves or stems that are capable of injecting substances that cause pain or irritation.

<i>Urtica gracilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Urtica gracilis, commonly known as the slender nettle, tall nettle, or American stinging nettle, is a perennial plant plant without woody stems that is well known for the unpleasant stinging hairs on its leaves and stems. It is native to much of the North America from Guatemala northwards and temperate areas of South America. It is easily confused with the visually very similar Eurasian species Urtica dioica and is still listed in some resources as a subspecies of this plant. However, genetic analysis and experiments show that they are genetically distinct.

<i>Urtica pilulifera</i> Species of flowering plant

Urtica pilulifera, also known as the Roman nettle, is a herbaceous annual flowering plant in the family Urticaceae.

Nettle tree or tree nettle can refer to:

<i>Heterogaster urticae</i> Species of true bug

Heterogaster urticae, common name nettle ground bug, is a species of true bug in the family Heterogastridae.

<i>Australina pusilla</i> Species of plant in the family Urticaceae

Australina pusilla, the small shade nettle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Urticaceae, native to eastern Australia, and New Zealand. A highly variable perennial herb reaching 50 cm (20 in), it is often found growing alongside shady streams.

<i>Hesperocnide sandwicensis</i> Species of plant

Hesperocnide sandwicensis, the Hawai'i stingingnettle, is a rare species of nettle endemic to the island of Hawai'i. Less than 1000 plants from only 3 occurrences are estimated to exist due to grazing pressure from invasive sheep, goats, and pigs.

References

  1. Otto Wilhelm Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885, Gera, Germany
  2. (in French) Fabricio Cardenas, Vieux papiers des Pyrénées-Orientales, Orties inoffensives à Collioure en 1874, 7 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 Huang, Xianhan; Deng, Tao; Moore, Michael J.; Wang, Hengchang; Li, Zhimin; Lin, Nan; Yusupov, Ziyoviddin; Tojibaev, Komiljon Sh.; Wang, Yuehua; Sun, Hang (August 2019). "Tropical Asian Origin, boreotropical migration and long-distance dispersal in Nettles (Urticeae, Urticaceae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 137: 190–199. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2019.05.007. PMID   31102687. S2CID   158047492.
  4. "The Plant List: Urtica". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic Garden. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  5. "Urtica perconfusa". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  6. Gledhill D. 1985. The Names of Plants. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0521366755
  7. Chris Baines. "Nettles and Wildlife".
  8. Acorn, John (2001). Bugs of Washington and Oregon. Auburn, WA: Lone Pine. p. 39. ISBN   978-1-55105-233-5.
  9. Slaughter, R. J; Beasley, DM; Lambie, BS; Wilkins, GT; Schep, LJ (2012). "Poisonous plants in New Zealand: A review of those that are most commonly enquired about to the National Poisons Centre". New Zealand Medical Journal. 125 (1367): 87–118. PMID   23321887.
  10. 1 2 Randall, Colin (2004). Kavalali, Gulsel M (ed.). Historical and modern uses of Urtica (pages 12-14). In: Urtica: The genus Urtica. CRC Press, Inc. pp. 12–14. ISBN   0203017927.
  11. Vogl, C.R.; Hart, A. (3 March 2003). "Production and processing of organically grown ®ber nettle (Urtica dioica L.) and its potential use in the natural textile industry: A review" (PDF).
  12. Shafia, Louisa (16 April 2013). The New Persian Kitchen. Ten Speed Press. ISBN   9781607743576.
  13. Randall, Colin (2003). Urtica : therapeutic and nutritional aspects of stinging nettles. London. ISBN   0-203-01792-7. OCLC   56420294.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  14. Quintman A, Lopez DS (2003), The Life of Milarepa, Penguin, p. 139, ISBN   0-14-310622-8
  15. Caribbean folktales
  16. Old Wives Lore for Gardeners, Boland M
  17. Dictionary of the Scots Language (online)
  18. Mabey, Richard (2004). Food for Free (2004 ed.). HarperCollins UK. ISBN   0-00-718303-8 . Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  19. Tréguer, Pascal (28 January 2019). "Meaning and origin of the phrase 'to grasp the nettle'". word histories. Retrieved 22 April 2023.