Urtica breweri
Watson
Stinging nettle
Wikimedia Commons - Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA
Wikimedia Commons - Hans Tambs Lyche
President and Fellows of Harvard College
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves
Young leaves are best cooked, working well as a spinach substitute or added to soups and stews. The plant is high in vitamins and minerals. Harvest only young leaves and wear stout gloves to avoid being stung. Although fresh leaves have stinging hairs, thorough drying or cooking destroys them entirely. Nettle beer can be brewed from the young shoots.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant.
North America, USA,
How to Identify
Perennial nettle growing to 1 m tall, not frost tender. Flowers June to August. Dioecious species requiring both male and female plants for seed production; wind-pollinated and not self-fertile. Adapts to light sandy, medium loamy, or heavy clay soils across mildly acidic to basic pH. Tolerates semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist conditions.
How to Grow
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in most parts of the country. It is closely related to U. holosericea, and according to one report it is no more than a synonym of U. serra. Blume. The Flora of North America treats this taxon as no more than a synonym for U. holosericea, and also treats that species as a sub-species of U. dioica. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a nitrogen-rich soil. The best fibre is produced when plants are grown on deep fertile soils. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Propagation: Sow seed in spring in a cold frame, barely covering it. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and plant out in summer. Division succeeds at almost any time in the growing season — plant divisions straight into their permanent positions.
Medicinal Uses
Fresh leaves rubbed or beaten onto the skin have traditionally been used to treat rheumatism — a practice known as urtification. The intense irritation caused by the sting is thought to work as a counter-irritant, drawing more blood to the area to help clear the toxins associated with rheumatism. The formic acid delivered by the nettles is also believed to have a directly beneficial effect on affected joints.
Other Uses
A strong flax-like fibre from the stems is used for string, cloth, and good quality paper. Harvested as the plant begins to die down in early autumn, it is retted before the fibres are extracted. The following uses are listed for U. dioica but are almost certainly applicable here too. Residual plant matter after fibre extraction is a useful biomass source, employed in the manufacture of sugar, starch, protein and ethyl alcohol. An oil from the seeds is used as an illuminant. The plant is an essential ingredient of 'QR' herbal compost activator, a dried powdered herbal blend that speeds bacterial activity in compost heaps. Leaves added to the compost heap are valuable, and soaking them for 7–21 days in water produces a nutritious liquid feed that doubles as an insect repellent and foliar feed. The growing plant raises the essential oil content of surrounding plants, boosting their resistance to insect pests. Flies are repelled by the plant, and freshly cut stems have been kept in food cupboards for this effect. The juice, or a decoction boiled in strong salt solution, curdles milk as a rennet substitute, and the same juice rubbed into leaky wooden tub seams will coagulate and seal them. Infused leaves make a hair wash used as a tonic and antidandruff treatment. A permanent green dye is obtained from a decoction of leaves and stems; a yellow dye from the root boiled with alum.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Perennial nettle growing to 1 m tall, not frost tender. Flowers June to August. Dioecious species requiring both male and female plants for seed production; wind-pollinated and not self-fertile. Adapts to light sandy, medium loamy, or heavy clay soils across mildly acidic to basic pH. Tolerates semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist conditions.
References (1)
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
