Siberian hemp nettle
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Siberian hemp nettle ( Urtica cannabina ) |
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The Siberian hemp nettle ( Urtica cannabina ), also called Siberian nettle or hemp nettle , is a species of plant in the nettle family (Urticaceae).
description
Appearance and leaf
The Siberian hemp nettle grows as a perennial herbaceous plant and reaches heights of 50 to 150 cm. It forms woody rhizomes as persistence organs. The long, branched stems are only sparsely covered with bristle and stinging hairs.
The constantly against arranged on the stem leaves are divided into petiole and leaf blade. The 2 to 8 cm long petiole is covered with fluffy stinging hairs. The three-part to pinnate leaf blade is pentagonal with a length of 7 to 15 cm and a width of 3.5 to 10 cm in outline. The underside of the leaf is downy hairy and there are stinging hairs on the leaf veins . The upper side of the leaf is initially sparsely hairy with bristles, later glabrous and there are densely punctiform cystolites . The uppermost leaf is pinnate and gradually shortened towards the bottom. The lateral partial leaves are irregularly incised-sawn to weakly-sawn. The free stipules are linear with 5 to 15 mm and covered with fluffy stinging hairs on both sides.
Inflorescence and flower
The Siberian hemp nettle is single sexed ( monoecious ). The flowering period is between July and August. The inflorescences each contain only flowers of one sex. In the upper part of the stem in the leaf axils are the male, paniculate , 5 to 8 cm long inflorescences. In the leaf axils below are the female, spiked , 2 to 7 cm long inflorescences, which are often upright; in their lower area the thick inflorescence axes are branched. The mostly short-stalked, male flowers have a diameter of 1.2 to 1.5 mm when budded and have four downy, hairy, egg-shaped bracts that are fused up to half their length, as well as four stamens . The four bracts of the female flowers are fused in the lower third of their length and their two dorsal-ventral lobes are elliptical-ovoid with a length of 2 to 4 mm, they are also hairy with bristles and have one to four stinging hairs. The two lateral lobes are three to four times shorter, egg-shaped to oblong-egg-shaped and often have only one stinging hair.
fruit
The gray-brownish achenes are egg-shaped with a length of 2 to 3 mm and somewhat flattened with a pointed end and warty surface. The durable bracts can be seen on the achenes. The fruits ripen between August and October.
Stinging hairs
The stinging hairs of the Siberian hemp nettle break off with very light touch and lead to severe, painful, long-lasting burns. Acetylcholine , histamine and serotonin were found in the stinging hair . However, it is not yet clear whether these compounds (especially histamine) are responsible for the itching.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 52.
distribution
The Siberian hemp nettle colonizes large parts of Asia and Eastern Europe. The distribution area extends over the European part of Russia, Siberia, Mongolia and Iran to China. It populates thicket, grasslands, sand dunes and beaches, river banks, roadsides and overgrown places / buildings. It occurs at altitudes of 800 to 2800 m.
Taxonomy
Urtica cannabina was first published in 1753 by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum .
use
Cultivation
The seeds are sown in a cold frame in spring, later pricked out and transplanted into individual pots. In summer, when they are big enough, they are planted out. They then have to be watered regularly until harvest, otherwise the fibers will be of poorer quality during fiber extraction. Otherwise they require little maintenance.
Fiber usage
history
The Siberian hemp nettle has long been used as a fiber plant, especially in Asia. In the 1950s it was still used in various Asian regions of the USSR in the wild for fiber production.
Furthermore, the Siberian hemp nettle was and is cultivated in temperate Asia in order to obtain its fibers and use them to make cords.
Processing of the nettle stalks into fibers
After the stems have been cleaned of foliage, etc., the plants are squeezed using rollers so that the stinging hairs are destroyed. The stalks are then placed in a pressure vessel with five percent ammonia solution at 135 ° C for 1½ hours . The fibers are then cooled in the container in a water bath , the pressure is released , the container is opened and the fibers are washed out with tap water. After a rinse with methanol to limescale to remove the resulting fiber batts in the air to be dried. Finally, the fibers are combed out to remove further impurities and parallelized before spinning.
Properties of the fiber
| property | Chr. Refuses | G. Huang |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber length | 2 to 6 cm | 2 to 7 cm |
| Fiber cross-section | 14.6 µm | 15 to 40 µm |
| Fiber fineness | 9 dtex | --- |
| Tensile strength (tensile strength) | 46 cN | --- |
| strain | 24.6% | --- |
The fiber of the Siberian hemp nettle is of good quality, so it can absorb much more moisture than wool, cotton and other bast fibers due to its special structure. Pure hemp nettle fiber yarns cannot be produced, as the fibers have a structure that is too smooth, similar to that of the greater nettle . Therefore, mixed yarns must be made.
Use of the fiber
The fiber of the Siberian nettle is used to produce coarse yarns, nets, knitting, etc. In the past the fiber was processed into fine nettle cloth .
food
The leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals and can be used as a vegetable , similar to the great nettle . You can prepare them like spinach, for example, or make soups and stews. When collecting the leaves, you should make sure that you only collect young leaves and that gloves are used when picking, which protect against burns. Thorough cooking or drying will destroy the stinging hair. Nettle beer can also be brewed from the young shoots.
Seed oil
An oil can be obtained from the small nut fruits that can be used as lamp oil or fuel oil.
Use in the garden
Adding Siberian hemp nettle leaves to the compost heap accelerates bacterial activity. The plants can also be used to produce so-called nettle manure, which is used as a plant fertilizer and insect repellent. The manure is made by fermenting the fresh plants in rainwater for two weeks. The resulting liquid is then strained.
To dye
Two dyes can be obtained from the Siberian hemp nettle:
- A durable green dye that can be obtained by decoctions from leaves and stems.
- A yellow dye that can be obtained from the root by boiling it with alum .
Use of the nettle juice
The juice of the Siberian hemp nettle or a decoction by boiling the leaves in a strong salt solution can be used as a rennet substitute, as well as for sealing wooden vessels.
Hair care
Shampoo or hair tonic is obtained from the leaves . This is used to treat dandruff and as a tonic .
Known dangers of Urtica cannabina
The stinging hairs can cause irritation to the skin. They are rendered harmless by boiling or drying. Only the young leaves should be used for consumption because cystolites develop in the older leaves , which are irritating to the kidneys.
swell
literature
- Chen Jiarui (陈家瑞 Chen Chia-jui), Ib Friis, C. Melanie Wilmot-Dear: Urtica. In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (Eds.): Flora of China . Volume 5: Ulmaceae through Basellaceae . Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis 2003, ISBN 1-930723-27-X , pp. 80 (English). , Urtica cannabina - online. (Section Description, Taxonomy and Distribution)
- Gustav Bredemann : The great nettle Urtica dioica L. - Research on its cultivation for fiber production . With an appendix about their use for medicinal and animal feed as well as technical purposes by Kurt Garber. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1959, DNB 450606422 , p. 20 f.
Individual evidence
- ↑ B. Bös: Hemp-leaved nettle (Urtica cannabina). In: Poison Plants Compendium. Retrieved November 24, 2011 .
- ^ Urtica cannabina at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ Carl von Linné: Species Plantarum. Volume 2, Impensis Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae 1753, p. 984 digitized
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Urtica cannabina. In: Plants for a Future Database. Retrieved November 24, 2011 .
- ↑ a b Gustav Bredemann : The great stinging nettle Urtica dioica L. - Research on its cultivation for fiber production (with an appendix on its use for medicinal and animal feed as well as technical purposes by Kurt Garber). Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1959, p. 20.
- ↑ Dr. Friedrich Ebel: Useful plants guide through the botanical garden. Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Halle (Saale), 1977, p. 142.
- ↑ a b Christina Weigert: Processing of nettle plants for fiber production and comparison of the fibers obtained. Jugend forscht 2005 (PDF; 0.9 MB). ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ A b G. Huang: Nettle (Urtica cannabina L) fiber, properties and spinning practice. In: Journal of the Textile Institute. Volume 96, No. 1, 2005, pp. 11-15, doi: 10.1533 / joti.2004.0023 .
