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Urtica lyallii
| Common name: |
Stinging Nettle |
Family: |
Urticaceae |
| Author: |
Watson. |
Botanical references: |
71 |
| Synonyms: |
Urtica dioica lyallii |
| Known Hazards: |
The leaves of the plants have stinging hairs, causing irritation to the skin[21, 200]. This action is neutralized by heat so the cooked leaves are perfectly safe and nutritious[200]. However, only young leaves should be used because older leaves develop gritty particles called cystoliths which act as an irritant to the kidneys[172]. |
| Range: |
Western N. America - Alaska to California. |
| Habitat: |
Moist places near the coast in California[71]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| U. californica[B,P]
U. cardiophylla[B,P]
U. dioica ssp. gracilis[B,CPHOTO,CAL,CAL,,P]
U. dioica var. angustifolia[B,P]
U. dioica var. californica[B,P]
U. dioica var. gracilis[B,P]
U. dioica var. lyallii[B,P]
U. dioica var. procera[B,P]
U. gracilis[B,P]
U. lyallii var. californica[B,P]
U. major[B,P]
U. procera[B,P]
U. serra[B]
U. serra auct. non[P]
U. strigosissima[B,P]
U. viridis[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| California Nettle [P], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Urticales. Nettle family
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 1.2m. It is not frost tender. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Wind.
The plant not is self-fertile.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Drink; Leaves.
Young leaves - cooked[172]. A very nutritious food, high in vitamins
and minerals, it makes an excellent spinach substitute and can also be added
to soups and stews[257]. Only use the young leaves and wear stout gloves when
harvesting them to prevent getting stung. Although the fresh leaves have
stinging hairs, thoroughly drying or cooking them destroys these hairs.
Nettle beer is brewed from the young shoots[200].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Alterative; Antiasthmatic; Antidandruff; Antiperiodic; Antispasmodic; Diuretic; Expectorant; Tonic.
The leaves are alterative, antiasthmatic, antidandruff, antispasmodic,
diuretic, expectorant and tonic[172, 257]. An infusion has been used in the
treatment of colds[257]. The plant has been used in a sweat bath to treat
rheumatic-like pains all over the body[257]. An infusion has been taken by a
woman to relax the muscles when she is about to give birth[257]. An infusion
has also been used as a body rub to treat soreness and stiffness[257].
The fresh leaves of nettles have been rubbed or beaten onto the skin in the
treatment of rheumatism etc[257]. This practice, called urtification, causes
intense irritation to the skin as it is stung by the nettles. It is believed
that this treatment works in two ways. Firstly, it acts as a
counter-irritant, bringing more blood to the area to help remove the toxins
that cause rheumatism. Secondly, the formic acid from the nettles is believed
to have a beneficial effect upon the rheumatic joints.
A decoction of the peeled bark has been used in the treatment of headaches
and nose bleeds[257].
An infusion of the roots has been used in the treatment of intermittent
fevers[257].
Other Uses
Compost; Dye; Fibre; Hair; Liquid feed; Paper; Repellent.
A strong flax-like fibre is obtained from the stems[61, 118, 200, 257].
Used for making string and cloth, it also makes a good quality paper[115]. It
is harvested as the plant begins to die down in early autumn and is retted
before the fibres are extracted[4, 99].
A hair wash is made from the infused leaves, or a decoction of the
roots[172, 201, 257]. This is used as a tonic and antidandruff treatment[172,
201].
The following uses have been listed for U. dioica, but they are almost
certainly also applicable to this species.
The plant matter left over after the fibres have been extracted are a good
source of biomass and have been used in the manufacture of sugar, starch,
protein and ethyl alcohol[4].
An oil obtained from the seeds is used as an illuminant[4].
An essential ingredient of 'QR' herbal compost activator[32]. This is a
dried and powdered mixture of several herbs that can be added to a compost
heap in order to speed up bacterial activity and thus shorten the time needed
to make the compost[K]. The leaves are also an excellent addition to the
compost heap[12, 18, 20] and they can be soaked for 7 - 21 days in water to
make a very nutritious liquid feed for plants[54]. This liquid feed is both
insect repellent and a good foliar feed[14, 18, 53].
The growing plant increases the essential oil content of other nearby
plants, thus making them more resistant to insect pests[18, 20, 54].
Although many different species of insects feed on nettles, flies are
repelled by the plant so a bunch of freshly cut stems has been used as a
repellent in food cupboards[4].
The juice of the plant, or a decoction formed by boiling the herb in a
strong solution of salt, will curdle milks and thus acts as a rennet
substitute[4]. This same juice, if rubbed into small seams of leaky wooden
tubs, will coagulate and make the tub watertight again[4].
A beautiful and permanent green dye is obtained from a decoction of the
leaves and stems[4, 115].
A yellow dye is obtained from the root when boiled with alum[4, 115].
Cultivation details
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.
dioica and is sometimes classed as being no more than a sub-species of that
species. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Prefers a nitrogen-rich soil[200]. The best fibre is produced when plants
are grown on deep fertile soils[200].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame, only just covering the seed. Prick
out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle,
and plant them out in the summer.
Division succeeds at almost any time in the growing season. Very easy, plant
them straight out into their permanent positions.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
References for Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis (a possible synonym).
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[12] Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2
A handy pocket guide.
[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.
[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[32] Bruce. M. E. Commonsense Compost Making. Faber 1977 ISBN 0-571-09990-4
Excellent little booklet dealing with how to make compost by using herbs to activate the heap. Gives full details of the herbs that are used.
[53] De. Bray. L. The Wild Garden.
Interesting reading.
[54] Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977 ISBN 0-584-10141-4
Interesting reading.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[71] Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959
An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.
[99] Turner. N. J. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum 1979 ISBN 0-7718-8117-7
Excellent and readable guide.
[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.
[118] Gunther. E. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press 1981 ISBN 0-295-95258-X
A small book, it is a good guide to useful plants in Western N. America.
[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
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Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
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Species Database.
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Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Urtica+lyallii
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