Urtica parviflora

A perennial nettle reaching 0.5 m tall, hardy and frost-tolerant. Flowers May to June with seeds ripening July to August. Monoecious with wind pollination; not self-fertile. Grows in light sandy, medium loamy, or heavy clay soils with mildly acidic to basic pH. Tolerates semi-shade in light woodland or full sun and prefers consistently moist soil.

Description

A herb. It grows 50 cm tall. It keeps growing from year to year The stems are slender. It grows 25-50 cm all. It has stinging hairs. The leaf blade is broadly oval and 3-9 cm long by 2-7 cm wide. The male and female flowers are separate at different distances along the branch.

Edible Uses

Young leaves are cooked and eaten — a highly nutritious food, rich in vitamins and minerals, that serves as an excellent spinach substitute and can be added to soups and stews. Only young leaves should be harvested, and stout gloves should be worn to avoid stings. Although fresh leaves carry stinging hairs, these are completely destroyed by thorough drying or cooking. The young shoots are used to brew nettle beer.

Traditional Uses

The tender shoots are cooked as a vegetable. They are also used in soups.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

A decoction of the plant is used in the treatment of fevers.

Known Hazards

The leaves of the plants have stinging hairs, causing irritation to the skin. This action is neutralized by heat so the cooked leaves are perfectly safe and nutritious. However, only young leaves should be used because older leaves develop gritty particles called cystoliths which act as an irritant to the kidneys.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows in moist places and along streams. In Sikkim it grows between 1,200-2,000 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Nepal, Northeastern India, Sikkim, Tibet,

Cultivation

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 could succeed outdoors at least in the milder parts of the country. 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.

Propagation

Sow seed in spring in a cold frame, barely covering it. Prick seedlings into individual pots once large enough to handle, then plant out in summer. Division can be carried out at almost any time during the growing season — it is straightforward, and divisions can go directly into their permanent positions.

Other Uses

The stems yield a strong flax-like fibre suitable for string, cloth, and good-quality paper. It is harvested as the plant begins to die back in early autumn and retted before the fibres are extracted. The leftover plant matter provides a useful source of biomass and has been used in the manufacture of sugar, starch, protein, and ethyl alcohol. Oil from the seeds serves as an illuminant. The plant is an essential ingredient in 'QR' herbal compost activator — a dried, powdered herbal blend added to compost heaps to speed up bacterial activity and shorten composting time. The leaves make an excellent compost addition and can be soaked in water for 7–21 days to produce a nutritious liquid plant feed that doubles as an insect repellent and foliar feed. The growing plant raises the essential oil content of nearby plants, boosting their resistance to insect pests. Freshly cut stems repel flies and have been placed in food cupboards for this purpose. The plant's juice, or a decoction made by boiling it in a strong salt solution, curdles milk and works as a rennet substitute; the same juice rubbed into leaky wooden tubs coagulates and makes them watertight. A hair wash made from an infusion of the leaves is used as a tonic and antidandruff treatment. A permanent green dye is obtained from a decoction of the leaves and stems; a yellow dye comes from the root boiled with alum.

Notes

It is used in medicine for sciatica.

Also Known As

Berain, Bichu, Bichubuti, Charia seusni, Kaniyali, Jimang, Paharah-bichuti, Seusni, Shihona, Sishnu, Sisnoo, Sisnu, Surang

References (10)

• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 664
• Dangol, D. R. et al, 2017, Wild Edible Plants in Nepal. Proceedings of 2nd National Workshop on CUAOGR, 2017.
• Dobriyal, M. J. R. & Dobriyal, R., 2014, Non Wood Forest Produce an Option for Ethnic Food and Nutritional Security in India. Int. J. of Usuf. Mngt. 15(1):17-37
• Ghimeray, A. K., Lamsal, K., et al, 2010, Wild edible angiospermic plants of the Illam Hills (Eastern Nepal) and their mode of use by local community. Korean J. Pl. Taxon. 40(1)
• GUPTA,

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