''Urtica'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s 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
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for 'sting'.
Due to the stinging hairs, ''Urtica'' are rarely eaten by
herbivore
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat ...
s, 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
In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of ...
plant
Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...
s, rarely shrubs. They can reach, depending on the type, location and nutrient status, a height of . The perennial species have underground
rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...
s. The green parts have stinging hairs. Their often quadrangular stems are unbranched or branched, erect, ascending or spreading.
Most
leaves
A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...
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
bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale.
Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...
s are free or fused to each other. The
cystoliths are extended to more or less rounded.
In 1874, while in
Collioure (south of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
), French botanist
Charles Naudin discovered that a strong wind lasting 24 hours rendered the stinging hairs of nettles harmless for an entire week.
Taxonomy
Phylogeny
The last common ancestor of the genus originated in
Eurasia
Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...
, with fossils being known from the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
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).
Species

A large number of species included within the genus in the older literature are now recognised as
synonyms
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...
of ''
Urtica dioica''. Some of these
taxa
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...
are still recognised as subspecies.
Genetic evidence indicates that the two species of ''
Hesperocnide'' are part of this genus.
Species in the genus ''Urtica'', and their primary natural ranges, include:
*''
Urtica andicola''
Webb
*''
Urtica angustifolia''
Fisch. ex Hornem. China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
,
Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
*''
Urtica ardens''
Link China
*''
Urtica aspera''
Petrie South Island, New Zealand
*''
Urtica atrichocaulis''
(Hand.-Mazz.) C.J.Chen
Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...
, southwestern China
*''
Urtica atrovirens''
Req. ex Loisel. western
Mediterranean region
*''
Urtica australis''
Hook.f. South Island, New Zealand and surrounding subantarctic islands
*''
Urtica cannabina''
L., Western
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
from
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
to
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
*''
Urtica chamaedryoides''
Pursh (heartleaf nettle), southeastern
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
*''
Urtica dioica''
L. (stinging nettle or bull nettle),
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
,
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
, North America
**''
Urtica dioica subsp. afghanica''
Chrtek, from southwestern and central Asia, sometimes has stinging hairs or is sometimes hairless.
**''
Urtica dioica subsp. dioica'' (European stinging nettle), from Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, has stinging hairs.
**''
Urtica dioica subsp. gansuensis''
C.J.Chen, from eastern Asia (China), has stinging hairs.
**''
Urtica dioica var. glabrata''
(Clem.) Asch. & Graebn.
**''
Urtica dioica var. hispida''
(Lam. ex DC.) Tausch ex Ott
**''
Urtica dioica var. holosericea'' Fr.
**''
Urtica dioica subsp. kurdistanica''
Chrtek
**''
Urtica dioica subsp. pubescens''
Ledeb. Domin, in many sources as U. dioica subsp. galeopsifolia (fen nettle or stingless nettle). Europe, Southwestern
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
east to Central Asia.
**''
Urtica dioica subsp. sondenii''
(Simmons) Avrorin ex Geltman northeastern Europe, northern Asia
**''
Urtica dioica var. sarmatica''
Zapał.
**''
Urtica dioica subsp. subinermis''
(R.Uechtr.) Weigend
*''
Urtica dubia'' – illegitimate synonym of ''U. membranacea''
*''
Urtica ferox''
G.Forst. (ongaonga or tree nettle),
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
*''
Urtica fissa''
E.Pritz. China
*''
Urtica gracilenta''
Greene (mountain nettle),
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
,
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
, west
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, northern
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
*''
Urtica gracilis
''Urtica gracilis'', commonly known as the slender nettle, tall nettle, or American stinging nettle, is a perennial plant without woody stems that is well known for the unpleasant stinging hairs on its leaves and stems. It is native to much of No ...
''
Aiton (slender nettle), North America and parts of South America
*''
Urtica hyperborea''
Jacquem. ex Wedd. Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...
from
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
to
Bhutan
Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
,
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
and
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
, high altitudes
*''
Urtica incisa''
Poir. (
scrub nettle),
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, New Zealand
*''
Urtica kioviensis''
Rogow. eastern Europe
*''
Urtica laetivirens''
Maxim. Japan,
Northeast China
*''
Urtica lalibertadensis''
Weigend
*''
Urtica linearifolia''
(Hook.f.) Cockayne (creeping or swamp nettle), or ''Urtica perconfusa'', an at risk endemic climber,
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
*''
Urtica mairei''
H.Lév. Himalaya, southwestern China, northeastern
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
*''
Urtica massaica''
Mildbr. Africa
*''
Urtica membranacea''
Poir. ex Savigny Mediterranean region,
Azores
The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...
and
Madeira
Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...
*''
Urtica morifolia''
Poir. Macaronesia
*''
Urtica minutifolia''
Griseb. Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
*''
Urtica parviflora'' Himalaya (lower altitudes)
*''
Urtica peruviana''
D.Getltman Perú
*''
Urtica pseudomagellanica''
D.Geltman Bolivia
*''
Urtica pilulifera''
L. (Roman nettle), southern Europe
*''
Urtica platyphylla''
Wedd. Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Japan
*''
Urtica procera''
Mühlenberg (tall nettle), North America
*''
Urtica rupestris''
Guss. Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
(endemic)
*''
Urtica taiwaniana''
S.S.Ying Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
*''
Urtica thunbergiana''
Siebold & Zucc. Japan,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
*''
Urtica triangularis''
Hand.-Mazz.
*''
Urtica urens''
L. (small nettle or annual nettle), Europe, North America
*''
Urtica urentivelutina
''Urtica urentivelutina'' is a species of the genus ''Urtica'' (often referred to as nettles), found in Peru. This species is closely related to ''Urtica macbridei, U. macbridei'', but differs in its much denser and longer wikt:indument, indument ...
''
Weigend
Etymology
The generic name ''Urtica'' derives from the
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for 'sting'.
Ecology
Due to the stinging hairs, ''Urtica'' species are rarely eaten by
herbivore
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat ...
s, but provide shelter for insects such as
aphid
Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...
s,
butterfly
Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...
larvae
A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typical ...
, and
moth
Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...
s. They are also consumed by
caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).
As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...
s of numerous
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...
(butterflies and moths), such as the tortrix moth ''
Syricoris lacunana'' and several
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species ha ...
, e.g. ''
Vanessa atalanta'', a red admiral butterfly.
Toxicity
Besides the stinging hairs in general, in
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
''U. ferox'' is classified as a
poisonous plant, most commonly upon
skin contact.
Uses
Fabric woven of nettle fiber was found in burial sites in Denmark dating to the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
, and in clothing fabric,
sailcloth,
fishing nets, and paper via the process called
retting
Retting is a process employing the action of micro-organisms and moisture on plants to dissolve or rot away much of the cellular tissues and pectins surrounding bast-fibre bundles, facilitating the separation of the fibre from the stem.retting ...
(microbial enzymatic degradation, similar to
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...
processing).
Other processing methods include mechanical and chemical.
Culinary
''Urtica'' is an ingredient in
soups,
omelettes,
banitsa,
purée, and other dishes. In
Mazandaran, northern
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, a soup (
Ä€sh) is made using this plant. Nettles were used in traditional practices to make nettle tea, juice, and
ale, and to preserve cheeses, such as in
Cornish Yarg.
[
]
In folklore
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.
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.
European
An old Scots rhyme about the nettle:
: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. 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
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...
). Alternatively, it may be recommending harvesting early in the year before the plants grow tall, as they become tough and stringy later.
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.
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
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...
'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.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Urticaceae genera
Leaf vegetables
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Taxa described in 1753