Scientific classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Subclass | Rosidae |
| Order | Urtical |
| Family | Urticaceae |
| Genus | Urtica |
| Species | U. membranacea |
Binomial name
Urtica membranacea Poir., 1789
Synonyms
U. dubia Forrsk.
U. caudata Vahl
Nettle, membranous nettle
L ‘ Urtica membranacea ( Poir. ), Commonly called nettle membranous , is a plant herbaceous annual , native of regions Mediterranean , belonging to the family Urticaceae . [1] [2]
Like U. dioica , it has stinging hair and shares its medicinal properties.
Description
Annual herbaceous plant, monoecious or rarely dioecious , [2] [3] with erect quadrangular stem, brown tending to purple, simple or little branched, 15–80 cm high.
The leaves are green, up to 8 cm long, ovate and opposite, truncated at the base, serrated and sharp, with irregular teeth, vaguely hairy on both sides. The stipules , two by two, are located on each side of the stem. The hair, when touched, releases a stinging substance that irritates the skin.Male flowers
The inflorescences are coupled to the leaves: the female flowers are inferior, collected in hanging spikes; superior are the male flowers, gathered in erect spikes, often tending to purple. It blooms between February and October. [2] [4]
The fruits are small achenes of ca. 1 mm thick, and contain the seeds.
Distribution and habitat
Membranous nettle grows in the Mediterranean regions, from Portugal to North Africa and Southwest Asia. [3] In Italy it can be found in Lombardy, Liguria and from Emilia-Romagna to Central-South and Sardinia. [5]
He prefers nitrogen soils, cultivates, clearings in the woods, uncultivated environments as around ruins, along abandoned roads and paths. It is located up to 1,000 m above sea level.
Taxonomy
Described by Poiret in 1797, it was first classified [4] by Vahl as U. caudata (1791) and by Forsskål as U. dubia (1775, inval. Nom.). [6] Other synonyms are U. atlantica ( Bl. , 1856), U. lusitanica ( Brot. , 1804), U. pittonii ( Blume , 1856) . One subspecies is known, U. membranacea subsp. neglecta ( Guss ., 1881). [7]
Similar Species
The plant is similar to other species of the genus Urtica , such as e.g. U. pilulifera is the most common U. dioica .
Use
The plant has the characteristic medicinal properties of U. dioica .
In popular medicine Calabrian, the ‘ U. membranacea ( Lurdica in Calabrian ) is used for the preparation of decoctions against cough and tonsillitis . [8]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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