the common stinging nettle

[Repens]

Is the common stinging nettle( Uritica dioica) a British native. Some one sugested it was brought hear by the Romans. "what have the Romans done for us?"

[newtron]

I don't know, but it is very common in the USA also.

[druiaghtagh]

education, the viaduct,law and order....

[naz_nomad]

sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health.

[rojash]

w i n e!

[rojash]

Sorry Naz, didn't see it there in your list, and it seemed mighty important to me!

[theprof]

You sent me scurrying me off to a textbook I used when I first entered university to answer this question.

For many years the standard textbook used by botanists to identify the British Flora was a work called "The Flora of the British Isles" by Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. This book ran into many editions and was eventually succeeded by another bigger textbook called "The Flora Europea".

According to Clapham, Tutin and Warburg (CTW), Urtica dioica has always been a native species in the UK. It is known to have existed since prehistoric times in the UK.

A more recent book called �Flora Britannica� which has much background information and folkelore on flowering plants supports CTW. This book mentions areas around Salisbury for example, which are dense with nettles since the remains of an occupation that ended 1600 years ago - the nettles are still thriving on phosphates and other minerals in the wake of human and agricultural colonisation.

There are also various villages in England such as Nettlebed, Nettleham and Nettleton, some of which show evidence of having existed prior to the roman occupation.

So yes, Urtica dioica is a native British species. However, that's not an end to the story.

(Cont)

[theprof]

According to �Flora Britannica� , an Elizabethan antiquary called William Camden, stated that the Romans, well aware that Britain would be cold, brought their native nettle with them when they came over to the UK, to rub on their skin, presumably to warm themselves up. Other textbooks support this account.

Now this nettle commonly known as (surprise, surpise) the Roman Nettle is a different species, and its latin name is Urtica pilulifera. Both the books I cited above state that this species existed as a casual (an only occasionally found plant) in the UK until the 1950�s. This species now appears to be extinct in the UK.

It would appear that someone has confused these two species when the native nettle was discussed in the TV programme.

Hope that answers your question!

[spook]

and don't forget, they made it safe to walk the streets at night, naz_nomad.

isn't the common nettle native to the scottish isles?

has any other european countries have this kind of nettle?

[theprof]

Urtica dioica is native to all countries in Asia, most of North Africa, all countries in Europe and the majority of states in the USA.

It is also native to all the UK mainland along with all the outlying islands, including the scottish isles. In fact, it's one of the best colonisers in the Plant Kingdom.

There are also about five subspecies of Urtica dioica which are known to occur in specific countries of the world.