27 



NETTLE FAMILY (Urticacece) 



SLENDER NETTLE (Urtica gracilis Ait.) 

 Plate IX. 



Common Names : The only other English name that seems to be given 

 this species is tall wild nettle. 



Description: The slender nettle is an erect perennial from two to 

 seven feet high. The stem, which is usually simple, though sometimes 

 branched, is armed with stinging hairs. The leaves are opposite, hairy, 

 with slender bristly stalks, long pointed, usually rounded at the base, 

 with sharply toothed margins. The small greenish-white flowers are 

 arranged in compound clusters. The plants bloom in summer. 



Distribution: The slender nettle is common along fence rows, waste 

 places, and moist ground generally, from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. 



Poisonous Properties: The nettles are not usually numbered among 

 the poisonous plants, but they cause what is known as the "nettle rash^' 

 which is unpleasant enough to be avoided. As Pammel says, "it is an 

 inflammatory disorder with a burning and itching sensation. It may 

 come out in large or small patches, remaining for a few minutes or several 

 hours." 



Chesnut reports that hundreds of acres of land in Michigan and 

 Wisconsin were made worthless by the dense growth of this species, and 

 that horses refused to pass through it to cultivate the soil. He also says, 

 "the stinging hairs of a closely related species, U. holosericea were the 

 cause of the death of several horses in California in April, 1900." 



OTHER species OF NETTLE. 



The following species in Canada are equally injurious to the skin, and 

 cause severe irritation and burning wherever they come in contact with 

 it: The stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.), the western nettle {U. Lyallii 

 Wats.), the dwarf nettle (U. mens L.), and the wood nettle {Laportea 

 canadensis [L.] Gaud.). Plate X. 



Remedy and Means of Control: The burning and irritation of the 

 skin may be relieved by the application of diluted alcohol. 



The nettles are best kept in control by cultivation. Where tillage 

 is impracticable, close and continued cutting during the summer is advised. 

 Salt may be applied to check the new growth. In small patches the root- 

 stocks should be grubbed out and burned, as well as any tops bearing 

 seeds. 



