Urticaceae

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)

The Nettle family ( Urticaceae Germanized, " Urticaceae " (pronounced Ur -ti -ka- ze- s) ) form a family in the order of the rose -like ( Rosales ) within the angiosperms ( Magnoliopsida ). The family contains about 54 to 56 genera with about 2625 species. It has a worldwide distribution, only in arctic climates it does not occur. Some species are used in different ways. The nettles (Urtica ) are a well known plant genus, mainly because the leaves are equipped with stinging hairs, the contents ( acetylcholine, histamine, serotonin) cause the touch burning itching, but also in other species of the tribe Urticeae: Nanocnide, Girardinia and Dendrocnide this property exists. Worldwide eat the caterpillars of many butterfly species to species of this family.

• 4.1 Notes and references

Description

Appearance and leaves

The species of this family grow as an annual to perennial herbaceous plants or woody plants such as vines, subshrubs, shrubs and rare trees (eg, Cecropia ). Some species, for example in the genus Pilea are succulent. Few species grow as epiphytes, for example in the genus Pilea. The vegetative parts of plants may be covered with stinging hairs, depending on the type ( Tribus Urticeae ). Rarely thorns are present. Some species contain an aqueous latex. They can be evergreen or deciduous.

The rarely opposite, usually alternate and spirally arranged or distichous leaves are usually divided into petiole and leaf blade. The leaf blades are usually simple, rarely composed (eg Cecropia or Elatostema ). The leaf margin is smooth, cut or perforated. Under the epidermis Cystoliths are embedded on the upper leaf surface and / or bottom, which are only visible when the leaves are dried. Usually two stipules are present, which may be free or fused.

Inflorescences, flowers and pollination

They are monoecious ( monoecious ) or dioecious ( dioecious ) getrenntgeschlechtig; some species are polygamomonözisch, then come before next unisexual hermaphrodic flowers. Mostly in part, rarely in terminal, usually branched zymösen, paniculate, or racemose inflorescences are ähigen - often in hanks - many flowers together, female inflorescences can also be shaped head. There are usually bracts present that completely envelop the flower in some species.

The usually unisexual flowers are usually radial symmetry, rarely zygomorphic and ( two to six ) usually four to fünfzählig. Bloom can be present or absent. If bracts are present, then it is only a two - to sixfold, Circle. In male and hermaphrodite flowers two to six stamens are present. The stamens are bent in the flower buds often inward. Often the anthers open lengthwise " explosive ". The pollen grains are mono- or polycolporat. In the female and hermaphrodite flowers ( usually) only one carpel available, which is usually above constantly. The female flowers may possess staminodes. It may be present or the capitate, pfriemlichen, brush or filamentary scars are sitting a simple pen.

Pollination is mostly by the wind ( anemophilous ) or by insects ( entomophilous ).

Fruit and seeds

There shall be dry, achänenähnliche nut fruits or fleshy stone fruit; they are always one seed. Often to fruit maturity widening, durable bracts are present in the fruits. The seeds contain endosperm and a straight embryo with two ovate - elliptical or circular cotyledons ( cotyledons ).

Sets of chromosomes

The basic chromosome numbers be x = 7-14.

Systematics and distribution

It has a worldwide distribution, only in arctic climates it does not occur. In the Neotropics about 16 species occur with about 450 species. A number of species are invasive plants in many areas of the world.

The first publication of the Urticaceae family name was made in 1789 by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in Genera plantarum ..., p 400

Molecular genetic studies showed that the six or seven families of the earlier order Urticales be included within the order Rosales. The six species ( cecropia, Coussapoa, Pourouma, Myrianthus, Musanga, Poikilospermum ) with about 180 to 200 sets the previous family Cecropiaceae CCBerg are now incorporated in the Urticaceae.

Related families within the order Rosales:

Rosales s.str.

Ulmaceae

Cannabaceae

Moraceae

Urticaceae

The tribes were sur les corvettes de SM l' Uranie et la Physiciene published in 1830 by Charles Gaudichaud - Beaupré, HLC de Freycinet 's Voyage autour du monde ... EXECUTE. The family is divided into six tribes with a total of about 54 to 56 genera:

• Boehmerieae Gaudich. Approximately eight genera: Boehmeria, Nothocnide, Pipturus, Pouzolzia.
• Cecropieae Gaudich. Approximately six genera: Cecropia, Coussapoa, Pourouma, Myrianthus, Musanga.
• Elatostemeae Gaudich. ( Syn: Lecantheae Wedd. ): With about six genera: Elatostema, Lecanthus, Procris.
• Forsskaoleae Gaudich. Having only one stamen. All kinds without stinging hairs. With about five genera: Forsskaolea.
• Parietarieae Gaudich. Approximately eight genera: Gesnouinia, Parietaria, Soleirolia.
• Urticeae Gaudich. Every species with stinging hairs: with about six genera: Dendrocnide, Girardinia, Laportea, Nanocnide, Urea, Urtica, Poikilospermum.

Today there are about 54 to 56 genera in the family of Urticaceae ( in alphabetical order ):

• Aboriella Bennet: It contains only one type: Aboriella myriantha ( Dunn) Bennet: It is endemic to the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh to the east of the Himalayas.

• Archiboehmeria atrata ( Gagnepain ) CJChen: The home is China and northern Vietnam. It grows as a shrub to shrub.

• Astrothalamus reticulatus ( Wedd. ) CBRob. It occurs in the Philippines.

• Chamabainia cuspidata Wight: It has deposits in the tropics and subtropics of eastern Asia.

• Discocnide mexicana ( Liebm. ) Chew: It occurs in Mexico.

• Droguetia iners ( Forsskål ) Schweinfurth: Their range extends to Asia.

• Metatrophis margaretae F.Br.: It is endemic to the Tubuai Atoll.

• Neodistemon indicum Babu & ANHenry: The range extends from India to the Pacific Islands. It is a perennial herbaceous plant.

• Petelotiella tonkinensis ( Gagnepain ) Gagnepain in Southeast Asia. It has stinging hairs.

• Sarcochlamys pulcherrima Gaudichaud -Beaupré: The wide area of ​​distribution in tropical Asia extends from the eastern Himalayas to the Malay Archipelago.

• Sarcopilea domingensis Urb. This occurring only in the Dominican Republic on Hispaniola endemic succulent is a type that has its leaves arranged in rosettes similar to Aeonium.

• Bob ( Soleirolia soleirolii ( requiems ) Dandy ): The original home is Sardinia and Corsica; she is a neophyte in many areas of the world. It is a perennial herbaceous plant that is used as an ornamental plant.

Use

Some species are used in different ways:

Many species of nettle plants are suitable for fiber production. The fibers themselves off mainly by their large individual fiber lengths of other bast fibers. Further, these are always in loose fiber composite and not like hemp or flax into fiber bundles. Particularly suitable for fiber production the following species: Urtica dioica, Urtica dioica subsp. gracilis, Urtica kioviensis, Urtica cannabina, Laportea canadensis, Maoutia puya, Girardinia diversifolia, Boehmeria nivea, Boehmeria tricuspis and Boehmeria tenacissima.

From Girardinia, Laportea and Urtica species to extract the ( young ) leaves eaten raw or cooked. The fruits of Cecropia and Pourouma species are edible.

Medical effects have been investigated.

Some species and their varieties are used as ornamental plants (examples: Pellionia repens, cadierei Pilea, Pilea microphylla, Pilea peperomioides ).

Swell

• Description of the family of Urticaceae in APWebsite. (Sections Description and systematics)
• Kenneth J. Sytsma, Jeffery Morawetz, J. Chris Pires, Molly Nepokroeff, Elena Conti, Michelle Zjhra, Jocelyn C. Hall, Mark W. Chase: Urticalean rosids: circumscription, Rosid ancestry, and phylogenetics based on rbcL, trnL -F, and ndhF sequences. In American Journal of Botany. Volume 89, No. 9, 2002, pp. 1531-1546, DOI: 10.3732/ajb.89.9.1531.
• The families of the Urticaceae in the old scale and Cecropiaceae at DELTA. ( Description section )
• Chen Jiarui, Lin Qi, Ib Friis, C. Melanie Wilmot - Dear, Alex K. Monro: Urticaceae. 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, page 76 ( the old scope ). PDF file online ( English).
• David E. Boufford: Urticaceae. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee ( eds.): Flora of North America North of Mexico. Volume 3:. Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae, Oxford University Press, New York / Oxford et al 1997, ISBN 0-19-511246-6, pp. 400-401 (in the old scope ), online (English ).
• Julisasi T. Hadiah, Barry J. Conn, Christopher J. Quinn: Infra - familial phylogeny of Urticaceae, using chloroplast sequence data. In: Australian Systematic Botany. Volume 21, No. 5, 2008, pp. 375-385, DOI: 10.1071/SB08041.
• David John Mabberley: The Plant-Book. A portable dictionary of the higher plants. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, among other things, 1987, ISBN 0-521-34060-8.
• Kenneth J. Sytsma, Jeffery Morawetz, J. Chris Pires, Molly Nepokroeff, Elena Conti, Michelle Zjhra, Jocelyn C. Hall, Mark W. Chase: Urticalean rosids: circumscription, Rosid ancestry, and phylogenetics based on rbcL, trnL -F, and ndhF sequences. In American Journal of Botany. Volume 89, No. 9, 2002, pp. 1531-1546, DOI: 10.3732/ajb.89.9.1531. (Sections Description and systematics)
• Alex Monro, 2009: Neotropical Urticaceae in W. Milliken, B. & A. Klitgård Baracat (ed.): Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics. last accessed on 19 April 2013. (Sections Description, distribution and systematics)