462 
XCI. URTICACEiE 
times close to the ground, broadly top-shaped, 1-2 in. long, 2-3 
in. diam., strongly ridged, pubescent when young, becoming 
glabrous afterwards, russet-brown, tinged with red or dull purple 
when ripe. 
Sutlej valley ; figs ripen March-May. — Outer Himalaya, ascending to 
5000 ft. — Burmah. 
7. URTICA. From the Latin uro , to burn ; referring to the 
pain caused by the stings. — Temperate and subtropical regions. 
Erect herbs, more or less clothed with stinging hairs ; inner 
bark containing tough fibres. Leaves opposite, long-stalked, thin, 
toothed. Flowers small, green, 1 -sexual, clustered on the branches 
of loosely spreading, axillary panicles 1-3 in. long. Perianth 4- 
parted. Male flowers : perianth-segments concave ; stamens 4, 
filaments rolled up in bud, straightening with a jerk when the 
flower opens. Female flowers : perianth-segments unequal, flat ; 
stigma resembling a small tuft of hairs. Achene flattened, 
embraced by the persistent perianth. 
The Roman nettle, TJ. jpilulifera, a weed of waste places in England, occurs 
occasionally near houses in Simla. Leaves ovate, 1-3 in. ; teeth very long, often 
linear, acute. Male flowers in slender, panicled spikes ; female in globose 
heads ; both sexes on the same plant. 
Plants bearing flowers of both sexes. Leaves with small, 
irregular teeth . . . . . . . . 1 . TJ. parvi flora. 
Plants bearing either male or female flowers. Leaves with 
large, regular teeth . . . . . . .2 . TJ. dioica. 
1. Urtica parviflora, JRoxb. ; FI. Br. Ind. v. 548. Stems 3-5 ft., 
slender, obtusely angled. Leaves ovate or lanceolate, usually 
cordate, 2-4 x 1— 2A in., long-pointed ; teeth small, acute, irregu- 
larly jagged ; stipules united. Male and female flowers on the 
same plant. 
Simla, common ; flowers throughout the summer. — Temperate Himalaya, 
5000-12,000 ft.— Nilghiris. 
2. Urtica dioica, Linn. ; FI. Br. Ind. v. 548. Stems 3-5 ft., 
often robust, grooved. Leaves ovate or lanceolate, usually 
cordate, 2-4 in., long-pointed ; teeth large, coarse, regular, 
acute ; stipules usually free. Male and female flowers on 
separate plants. 
Simla, Huttoo ; June, July. — W. Himalaya, 7000-10,000 ft. — Westward to 
the Atlantic, including Britain (Common Nettle). Widely spread in other 
countries, but often introduced. 
8. GIRARDINIA. In honour of Girardin, a French botanist, 
joint author of a Manual of Botany in 1827. — Tropical Asia and 
Africa. 
Girardinia heterqphylla, Decne . ; FI. Br. Ind. v. 550. A robust, 
coarse, erect herb, 4-6 ft., covered with rigid, sharp, stinging 
