U r t i c a D io i c a . ■ C o m m o n N e t t l e .
URTICA. Linn. Gen. PI. M o n o e c ia T e t r a n d r ia .
M a s c . Cal. 4-phylIus. Cor. o. Neftarium centrale, cyathiforme.
Fem. Cal. 2-valvis. Cor. o. Sem. 1. nitidum.
Rah Syn. Gen. 5. H erbie f l o r e im p e r f e c to seu st am in eo ( v e l a p e t a l o po t iu s .)
URTICA dioica, foliis oppofitis cordatis, racemis geminis. Linn. Syfl. Veq;. p. 840. Spec PI 1 onfi
F/. Suec. 863. ScopoliFl Carn. e l 2 n. 1175. * ™ * ' 39
URTICA ftirpibus fexü diftin&is, foliis ferratis, ovato-lanceolatis, produ6lis. Hall. Hiß. 1614.
URTICA major vulgaris. J . Baub. III. 445. major vulgaris et media fylveftris. Park. 440.
urens. Ger emac. 706. maxima. Baub. Pin. 232.
URTICA racemifera major perennis. Rail Syn. p. 130. Common Stinging-Nettle. Hudf. FI. Anri,
p. 418. Lightj. FI. Scot. p. 578.
ROOT perennial, creeping, roundifh, flightly furrowed,
tough, yellowilh, jointed, fending down from
, the joints fome pretty large fibres.
STALKS many, from two to four feet high, upright,
very little branched, bluntly quadrangular,
each fide furrowed, befet witn rigid hairs.
LEAVES oppofite, Handing on foot-ftalks, heart-
fhaped, acuminated, widely ferrated, the upper
fide wrinkled and veiny, on both fides
befet with awl-ihaped, flinging hairs.
STIPULAL four, fpreading, linear, bluntifh, the under
fide comprefled and channelled.
FLOWERS dioicous, dilperfed in fmall clufters, in
racemi growing four together, which are
branched, bending downward, and befet with
fine as well as coarfe hairs.
M a l e F l ow e r s .
( C A L YX : a P er ian th ium divided into fburfegments,
\ . fpreading, ovate, obtufe, concave, beneath
i v roughilh, Jig. 1,
) COROLLA none.
I NECTARY in the centre of the flower, turbinated,
l almoft tranfparent, blunt and perforated at
( the top.
(STAMIN A ; four F il am en t s awhfhaped,-length o f
5 the calyx, fpreading, one in each fegment of
jj the calyx, on Iheddmg of the pollen fpringing '
f out by their elafticity. A n t h e r s bilocular,
I whitilh, jig. 2.
\ F em a le F low e r s ,
j CALYX : a permanent P e r ian th ium divided into
) four fegments; the two inner ones larger, fur-.
) rounding the germen; the two outer ones
) very fmall, fpreading, fig. o.
> COROLLA none,
| PISTILLUM: G ermen ovate. St y l e none. S t igm a
, fpreading, feathery, white, jig. 4, g .
, SEED-VESSEL none. The two inner fegments o f the
1 Calyx doling and including the feed, jig. 6.
1 SEEDS Angle, ovate, blunt, comprefled, whitilh,
1 Diming, Jig. 7, 8.
The name of dioica is given to this fpecies o f Nettle, from its producing male flowers on one-plant and
female on another; it is however not always dioicous, as we have frequently obferved female flowers on the
male, plant in great numbers.
^ t ^ ahundantly by the fides of hedges, in negle&ed fields, gardens, and paftures, and flowers from June
. Baron H a l l e r has obferved, that in its frufilification it has great affinity with the Parietaria, which is certainly
JUlt; die pollen in particular is difcharged m the fame curious way, (See Parietal. offic, already figured )
the genus Urtica is a numerous one, there being twenty-eight fpeciei enumerated in the 14 ed'of L innaeus’s
W'ma Vegetabihum; all of which however do not fling, as. the three fpecies indigenous to this country are
well known to do: the naked eye readily perceives the inftruments by which the Nettle inftils itspoilon- a
microicope of no great magnifying power more plainly difcovers them to be rigid, tranfparent, tubular fets
prickles, or dings, highly pohfhed and exquifitely pointed, furnilhed at their bafe with a kind of bulb in which
me juice is principally contained, and which heing prefled on when the fling enters the fkin, forces the poifon
into the wound ; of the venomous quality of this liquid, and of the manner in which it is emitted, I have had
cu ar proof: placing the footftalk of a Nettle leaf* (the prickles; being more manageable, and better adapted to
me microfcope than thofe on the leaves or ftalks) on the ftage of the microfcope, fo that the whole o f the prickle
was m the focus when horizontally extended, I preffed op the bulb with a blunt-pointed pin, and, after fome
miais, round a liquid to afeend m the prickle, fomewhat as the quickfilver does when ^ warm hand'is applied to.
the
RADIX perennis, repens, teretiufcula, fubfulcata, tenax, {
flavefcens, geniculata, fibras majufculas e ge- î
niculis emittens. <j
CAULES plures, bi ad quadripedales, ere£ti, vix ra- |
mofi, obtufe tetragom, quadrifulcati, pilis ri- ]
gidis hifpidi.
FOLIA oppofita, petiolata, cordata, acuminata, late 3
ferrata, fupra rugofa, venofa, utrinque pilis l
fubulatis, urentibus hifpida. I
STIPULÆ quatuor, patentes, lineares, obtufiufculje, I
fubtus compreflo-canaliculatæ. i
FLORES dioici, in racemis quaternis, ramofis, deflexis, |
pubefcenti-hifpidis, glomeratim dilpofiti, I
M a s cul i F lo r e s .
CALYX : P e r ian th ium quadripartitum, laciniis pa- 1
tentibus, ovatis, obtufis, concavis, fubtus,
feabris, fig. 1, • ,
COROLLA nulla.
NECTARIUM in.centro Boris, turbinatum, fubdia-1
phanum, apice obtiifum, perforatum.
STAMINA: F i l a m e n t a quatuor, fubulata, Iongitu- \
dine calycis, patentia, intra fingulam laciniam i
calycinam lingula, inftante anthefi elaftice i
profilientia. A n t h e r s biloculares, albte, 1
1 fig- 2. • ;
F eminei F lo r e s .
CALYX: P e r ian th ium quadripartitum, perfiftens; ,
laciniis duabus interioribus majoribus, germen (
cingentibus; duabus exterioribus minimis, (
patentibus, fig. q. i
COROLLA nulla. «
PISTILLUM: G ermen ovatum. S t y lu s nullus. *1
S t igm a patens,penicifliforme, a l b u m , 4,5. 1
PERICARPIUM nullum. Caly cis laciniae internee, con- 1
niventes, jig. 6. includunt, 3
SEMEN unicum, ovatum, obtufo-compreflum, nitidum, \
fig-7> 8. r |
The Urtica pilulifcra .was the made uf& of.