the bulb of a thermometer; in fome o f the prickles I obferved the liquid flationary, on prefling fiich in particular
j faw moll plainly the liquor attend to, and flow copioufly from its very extremity, fee fig. q. I was^he more
anxious to lee this, as I fiifpeaed the poifon might proceed from an aperture in the fide of ?he fling near the
poult, as in the forceps of the fpider, and tooth of the viper, and where it appears to be placed ratfier than at
the extremity, that it may not take off from its neceffary (harpnefs 1 1 ’
Pricking the (kin o f mv hand with a needle, I placed fome o f the juice on the wound,.when it inftantlv
inflamed, and put on all the appearance of a part flung by a Nettle muantiy
It has been obferved, that Inch as handle this plant roughly, rarely feel the effefls of its fling ■ while others
toil flightly touching it, experience it in all its forcé; this circumftance is happily expreffed by A aron H ill
“ Tender-handed Jlroke a Nettle,
“ And it JHngs you fo r your pains ;
“ Grafp it like a man of mettle,
“ -And it foft as Jilk remains
Notwithftanding its roughnefs and flinging quality, many of the poorer people feek Nettle-tops in the fpring
with great avidity as a pot-herb n e g le& g the more luxuriant Chickweed, almoft equal to Fpinach g row nf
perhaps abundantly juft Dy it ; others rel.gioufly put them in diet-drinks at the fame period, expeHingfo hâvf
their whole mais of blood fo purified as to be free from difeafe for twelve months at leafl P °
Mr, L ightfoot informs us m his FI Scot, that in Arran, and other iflands o f Scotland, a rennet is made of
a ltrong decoaion of Nettles; a quart o f fait is put to three pints of the decoffion, and boiled up for ufe • a
ex“SenclPd fU ° f ^ 'qU° r W‘ C° agU'ate a W b»wl o f very readily, and agreeably, aSPhe faw and
2 " n “ like that of Hemp, and to be capable of being
■ H H “n m Materia Modica, are profufe in their encomiums on the virtues o f the Nettle, as they
are on thofe of moft other plants ; but;,.exceptlng the benefit which may arife from inr external applicktbn its
virtues we apprehend are extremely problematical ' application, its
Urdcation or whipping with Sdnging-Nestles, is an old praflice, and recommended in various difordem
efçecially lethargy, paffy or numbnefs of any particular limb, rheumatic pains, &c - j
The Nettle , is refufed by cattle m general ; hence we often fee paftures, orchards, &c. disfigured by large
patches of them, which, as * e root is perennial and creeping, are every year increafing ; the africulturlft 'wfo
■ tormprove and embelhlh his fields, will lofe no time in extirpating L h . There! rc fome,however who
think differently o f this plant ; H a l l e r fays, that it affords excelfent food for cattle, efpecialN milch
« = , thf ï . ha“ eTe? been nnltivated, and that advantageoufly, in Sweden for feeding kine. Hall. H f f 1
Though this plantas pot remarkably advantageous either to man or beaft, it afforls nouriflimenTS a greai
„umber of infe&s; it is the oidy food of the caterpillars o f three o f our moft beaudful Butterflies vL§ die
Atalanta, Papha, and Ur/me, the principal food of a fourth,, the Io, which I have this year found alfo on the
Hop, and the occafional food o f a fifth, the C. album, which feeds alfo on the hop and^e elm ; two o f our
moths alfo feed on it, viz. the urUcata and the verticals; befides thefe, which are the principal infers found on
the Nettle with us a great number o f other mdlfcriminate feeders devour its foliage. ïh e fafe of the leaves b!
autumn is extreme^ liable to be disfigured by tubercles, which, if opened, are found to contain final! magg!!s
which probably produce the Mu/ca IJrtictç of L innæus ; but of this we hope to fpeak with more ceifuntv
when we treat o f the Urtica piluhfera. F certainty
U r t i c a U r e n s . S m a l l N e t t l e .
URTICA br i t f " ' Sxjl- * Si9' S f' C- M ^ FL stuc- 863-
URTICA fexubus fede disjunftis, foliis ovato-lanceolatis, julis oblongis. Hall. Hiß. 1615.
URTICA minor. Ger emac. j 07. minor annua. J . Bauh. III. 446. urens minor. Bauh. Pin so*
racemifer^ m^r^amiua. Ran Syn. p, 140. The lelfer Stinging-Nettle. Hudf. Fl. Angl,
Differt a dioica, planta tertia parte humiliore; flori-
bus monoids ; radice annua, alba; caulibus ramofiori-
bus; foliis multo minoribus et rotundioribus; ftipulis
! vix confpicuis; racemis multo brevioribus, minufque
j ramofis.
Differs from the dioica, in being fcarcely one-third as
tall; having male and female flowers on the fame plant-
the root annual, white; Italics much branched■ leaves
much fmaller -and rounder; ftipulae lefs confpicuous-
racemi much (horter in proportion.
m^udfy p!ngentbe n° reafon f° r appl),ins * * “ rm urens t0 fPecies in Par«™lar, as feveral o f the others
Of annual weeds, this Nettle is one of the very worft, efpecially and d;.at,in a ■ ■ in■ light man■ured foils lltfeTa. Xtkj s•M 'appear6 T h H ,0ne ; ' * e plants are therefore to be cut up with the hoe as fodn a they
S 66 y SCan" 0t he tQ° ftron?I>' on the minds of Farmers a3
Reference to the Parts o f Fructification»
Fig. | the. Calyx of the female flower. Hig. 2. the Calyx of the male flower. Fig. o. the Stamina.
Fig. 4. the Piftillum. Fig, 5. the Seed, Fig, 6. the fame magnified.