Stinging Nettle: Urtica dioica

This post is a bit of a test run - not political above the inherent associations with colonialism in the Americas.

Stinging Nettle YIKES! I’ve been hit by these a couple of times - frankly annoying. You may have tried nettle tea before, or maybe even eaten some of the boiled greens.

Interestingly, “Urtica dioica is native to Europe and was brought here by colonists, but there were already stinging nettles present in North America. Some authorities recognize two species of native stinging nettle: U. gracilis and U. lyallii, while other botanists consider the European and the North American forms to be one species… Their food uses are identical, the plants look very similar, and they are believed to hybridize regularly, so there is little purpose for discriminating between the native and imported stock.” The native variety are “smaller, sparser, more narrow-leaved plants with fewer and smaller stingers.” (Thayer The Foragers Harvest 172).

This plant had, and still has, so many uses. Here’s a working list:

The Native American Ethnobotany Database has 63 documented uses for Stinging Nettle. The Native American uses are considerably more versatile than the Western uses. Quickly, the uses Native American uses range largely from medicine, to food, to cordage. In Europe, the uses seem mostly culinary: inclusion in cheeses, pestos, and simply as greens.

This post is admittedly Eurocentric. I am curious why the plant was imported and not foraged, especially when I learned that the European variant was introduced in the mid-1800’s, possibly for use as greens. Surely colonists had encountered the native species by the time the European species was brought over - I literally stumbled upon it when I was 8 years old, and it was not forgettable. This suggests that the plant was not brought over as a tradeable good because anyone slightly familiar with the native flora of North America would have no need to import it. Instead, it may have been worn by immigrant or slave ships, knowingly or not.

Upon further exploration, it seems the European variant is mostly localized to fishing towns along the Atlantic coast (figure 1).“Herbarium specimens show that the earliest collections were made around harbors and ballast dumps while more recent collections are from inland areas and the southern portions of its range.” (Woodland Biosystematics of the Perennial North American Taxa of Urtica. II. Taxonomy.) The association with ballast dump sites suggests seeds or live rhizomes may have been carried over unintentionally and germinated once the ballast was removed from the ship. As ballast was used to mimic the weight of cargo, the ships responsible for dumping ballast along the East coast were possibly exporting goods from North America to Europe.

Figure 1. Distribution of European Nettle (black dots) from Woodland Biosystematics of the Perennial North American Taxa of Urtica. II. Taxonomy. Assessing the dispersion in Figure 1, we see congregations at large port-cities - around Boston, New Yo…

Figure 1. Distribution of European Nettle (black dots) from Woodland Biosystematics of the Perennial North American Taxa of Urtica. II. Taxonomy.

Assessing the dispersion in Figure 1, we see congregations at large port-cities - around Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Norfolk, and Wilmington. Nettles are notorious for producing thousands of seeds, and being a difficult species to control. The plant travels inland, strictly following the Appalachian Mountains south. Given the invasiveness, and hardiness, of the European variety it does not seem unreasonable that the Appalachian soil could have supported non-human propagation.

This is not uncommon. Carl Lindroth wrote extensively on native flora and fauna traveling across the Atlantic in ship ballast, and the highest concentrations of non-native species are often found around fishing ports. The introduction of the European nettle also coincides with a more regular trade schedule between North America and Europe, which meant ships sometimes traveled without full holds, increasing the need for ballast.

I’ve begun a hunt for 19th century ballast sites in or around Philadelphia. So far, I have no sure sites but a few promising leads. This study from the 80’s excavated an early shipyard in Philadelphia. The study includes a few great maps (figure 2. and figure 3.), demonstrating expanse of shipyards along the coasts of the Delaware. Most of the sites have been covered by highways, parking lots, or rising tides. A curator from a local maritime museum heard rumor of a site somewhere along the Schuylkill; unfortunately, the rumor’s original perpetuator would not tell him where the site was for fear he would have it protected from developers. My hope is to find a ballast site, and use it to find European Stinging Nettle. Finding stinging nettle is not difficult, but ensuring it is the European variant is more difficult. Inversely, the plant could potentially be used to find lost ballast sites. Unfortunately, the seasons first snow has covered the ground, making it difficult to move forward. I will likely have to wait till spring.