The Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica

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The Stinging

Nettle Urtica dioica

 

 

Most people who tromp through forests in the Pacific

Northwest have, at one time or another, felt the reaction that stinging nettle

causes on their skin. They often wonder which of the many green plants caused

their white itchy bumps and assume it was poison ivy. In fact, Poison Ivy does

not grow in temperate coastal rainforests and so, in most cases, the culprit is

probably the stinging nettle, Urtica dioica.

 

Stinging Nettles are perennials that belong in the nettle

family Urticaceae and have opposite leaves. They are common in coastal areas of

BC, Washington and Oregon and inland in south and central BC. They grow best in

moist forests and prefer shady disturbed areas where they grow in patches. They

are found at low elevations up to subalpine areas.

 

Plants in the nettle family and mint family are often

confused with each other since some of the common names call members of the

mint family by a nettle name. These include: hedge-nettle, hemp-nettle and

dead-nettle.

All members of the mint family have a stem that is square

in cross-section. None of these listed above belong to the nettle family.

 

Stinging Nettles are one of the first forest floor plants

to appear in the spring, usually in early March, sprouting up from under last

fall's dead leaf litter. Each of iths leaves are about 10 cm long, roughly

heart-shaped (rounded at one end and taper to a point at the other) and have

large teeth around the leaf edge (which I think of as reaching out to bite

you). They also have tiny hollow hairs on the main stem, leaf stems and on

veins on both upper and lower sides of the leaves.

 

In April, greenish clusters of tiny flowers hang down

from the joint of the leaf stem and main plant stem. At this point, they have

reached their full size of up to 3 m tall. Plant size tends to vary depending

on the amount of light and moisture.

 

Flowers later develop into seeds which are blown off the

parent plant and grow nearby. Stinging nettle also spread using rhizomes or

underground roots that shoot out to the side.

 

When a human brushes by the plant and it touches their

skin, the tiny hollw hairs break off and release an acid which irritates the

skin and causes white itchy spots to appear. The degree and length of itchiness

depends on the individaul's skin sensitivity. Some people suffer for as long as

24 hours, while others only have the sensation for an hour or so.

 

Humans have thicker skin on their palms and this area is

often immune to penetration of the acid due to the thicker skin. Back sides of

hands, arms, legs and most other areas of the body are usually affected.

 

The acid is formic acid, the same acid ants have in their

saliva glands.

Like any acid, it can be neutralized by mixing it with a

base. Applying a paste of baking soda made with a little water soothes the

sting for most people if applied to the site immediately. I carry a small vial

of baking soda for this purpose when hiking in the woods.

 

Human spit tends to be slightly basic and when rubbed

into the itchy area will help if baking soda is not handy.

 

One local plant is basic and may be crushed and rubbed on

the itchy area, providing the person is not allergic to the plant material.

This plant is the Curled Dock Rumex crispus and grows in the same habitat as

stinging nettle.

 

Stinging Nettle also has an interesting history as a

useful plant. Fresh leaves were collected before they flowered, then dried completely,

crushed and steeped in water to make a tea. When new leaves were collected in

spring, and boiled in several changes of water, the resulting greens were said

to make a good sprinach substitute. Stems and leaves steeped raw in a bucket of

water for 24 hours released the formic acid into the water. The stems were then

removed and the water used as an organic pesticide and applied to plants with

mites or aphids. First Nations used the pithy stems to make string and rope for

fishnets, snares and tumplines.

 

The plant is also useful to wldlife. Red Admiral

Butterflies lay their eggs on the undersides of leaves so the young will have a

meal as soon as they hatch. Look for the holes they chew in the leaf by these

voracious eaters!

 

by Donna Hill B.Sc. B.Ed. 1998

 

“Fortunately

art is a community effort - a small but select community living in a

spiritualized world endeavoring to interpret the wars and the solitudes of the

flesh.”

-Allen Ginsberg

 

 

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