CANNABIS HEMP. 245 



Urtica dioica Luiru-.—Owimon XcUle. 



Stem cYcx'.i, 2 to 4 foot hi'j^]\, very bristly. Loavoa ovato, oovdafo, 

 pointed, siroiigly sonnto, mostly smooth above, downy midonicatli. 

 Flower spikes much branched. 



IMnktt. — lu waste j^laces, especially about dwellings ; introduced from 

 Europe. 



Urtica urens Linm'. — Dwarf NrUh' 



Stem erect, 8 to 12 inches hijj;h, less bristly than the preceding. 

 Leaves elliptical or ovate, coarsely and deeply serrate. Flower clusters 2 

 in each axil, the staminate and pistillate flowers intermingled. 



flahUaf.. — In waste places ; introduced from Exu'ope. Less common 

 than the preceding. 



Wood Nellie. {Laporlea ('ana(f(^)h'<i!< Gaudichand), an indigenous jilant, 

 closely related to the gouus urtica, also possesses stinging jiroperties, and 

 is prol)ably hardly less efiicient. 



/'(iii!< (',<('( I. —The seed, leaves, and tops — not official, 



Coiisf.it ii('itfi<. — The stinging liairs of nettles contain free formic acid, 

 but as their ellect upon the skin difters sensibly from that of pure formica 

 acid, it is inferred that there is* present also some othei' irritating substance. 



Pirparalioiiit, — The ex^jressed juice, decoction, and the bruised leaves. 



Medical Prnperliei^ and Uses. — Flagellation of the skin with frcsli net- 

 tles was formerly employed for counter-irritnnt etTect in jjaralysis, and 

 in coma whether produced bj- disease or by alcohol or opium. Internally 

 the drug has been used with asserted iKMief'it in hemorrhages from the 

 nose, lungs, uterus, etc., and in catirrhal alYtn'tions. 



CANNABIS.— IlKMP. 



Cannabis csativa Linm'. — Tfcmp, American TTrmp. 



lJe.<criptioii. — Flowers dio'tdous. Staminate flowers with 5 sepals, and 

 5 drooping stamens. Pistillate flowers with a calyx of one sepal which 

 is fold e I around the ovary ; ovary roundish, 1-ovuled ; stigmas 2, lilil'orm, 

 glandnlar. Achenium ovate, 1-seeded. 



A coarse, pubescent, somewhat viscid annual. Stem erect, 3 to G feet 

 high, angular, branclung. Leaves alternate or opposite, on long weak 

 petioles, digitate, with 5 to 7 linear-Lmceolate, sharply serrate segments. 

 Flowers in axillary clusters ; staminate clusters lax, drooping, leafless at 

 the base; pistillate, erect, leafy at the base. 



Habitat. — In waste places. Largely cultivated in some of the Western 

 and Southern States. Introduced from Europe. . 



Part>< Uxc.d. — The flowering tops. OfTicial name. Cannabis Americana — 

 Amei'ican Cmnabis — Ignite 1 Stales I'harmacopivia. 



This plant is specitically identical with tliat affording the Cannabis 

 Indica {Indian Hemp, Hashish) of commerce, and has X'eceived the above 

 pharmacopa>ial name simply for identification. 



