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December 24, 2018

Exotic Nettles (Urtica spp.) - part 2


I have already described some nettle species on March 2018. Now I am writing about my experiences with growing 3 new species + a few additional photos of some ones described before.
Young Tree Nettle, Ongaonga (Urtica ferox)
  American Stinging Nettle - Urtica gracilis (syn. Urtica dioica subsp. gracilis) - this is monoecious perennial to about 1,5m (=5ft) tall, native to northern and central part of USA. Very frost hardy (to at least zone 6/7) and winter dormant. Its stems and leaves are vivid green and scarcely covered by stinging hairs. The young leaves are edible and very delicious when cooked. Nettle beer is brewed from the young shoots. Also medicinal herb. A good flax-like fibre is obtained from the stems (to making string, cloth and good quality paper). Likes moist, fertile soil and full sun to half-shade. Seeds need cold stratification period to germinating. Rarely cultivated in Europe.
Young plants
It has not much stinging (and not stinging) hairs
This species is monoecious (female and male inflorescences are on the same plant)
Young fruits
The male (larger) and female flowers
Young infutescence
 Hoary Nettle - Urtica holosericea (syn. Urtica dioica subsp. holosericea) - this is monoecious perennial to 2,5m (=8ft) tall, native to western USA. Its stems and leaves are hoary and very densely covered by stinging and not stinging hairs. Drought dormant and something frost resistant. The young leaves are edible and very delicious when cooked. Nettle beer is brewed from the young shoots. Also medicinal herb. A hair wash can be made from the leaves (used as tonic and to anti dandruff treatment). A strong flax-like fibre is obtained from the stems (to making string, cloth and good quality paper). Likes moist, fertile soil and full sun to half-shade. Seeds need cold stratification period to germinating. Very rare in trading.
Young seedlings

This nettle species is densely hairy


It is also monoecious (as previous species)
Male inflorescence
The flowers are inconspicuous
Male inflorescence
I made also a few new photos of species described before:

Hemp-leaved Nettle, Siberian Nettle (Urtica cannabina ):
The plant in flowers
This species of nettle has leaves similar to hemp
Young infrutescence
Kievan Nettle (Urtica kioviensis ):
The plant in flowers
Young infrutescences
Tree Nettle, Ongaonga (Urtica ferox):
It is very hard to wintering in nothern temperate areas (even on window sill) and very susceptible to mealybugs (they can easily kill the plant).
Young plants
This nettle species plants are covered by very large, strong stinging hairs
And burns very much
This is also very ornamental
 Last season I tried also growing various accessions of Common Nettle (Urtica dioica) native to sutropical areas (Brasil, Spain). These accessions had different appearance, but they all were dioecious. There are a few photos bellow:
Common Nettle (U. dioica) ex Brasil - female plant
Common Nettle (U. dioica) ex Brasil - male inflorescence
Common Nettle (U. dioica) ex Spain (first accession) - male plant
Common Nettle (U. dioica) ex Spain (first accession) - female plant
Common Nettle (U. dioica) ex Spain (first accession) - this form has very hairy stem
Common Nettle (U. dioica) ex Spain (second accession - less hairy, with long, narrow leaves) - male plant
Common Nettle (U. dioica) ex Spain (second accession - less hairy, with long leaves) - female plant
Common Nettle (U. dioica) ex Spain (third accession)









Common Nettle (U. dioica) ex Spain (third accession) - female plant
Common Nettle (U. dioica) ex Spain (third accession) - male inflorescence


Jaltomato (Jaltomata sp. div.) – part 2


I have already described a few Jaltomato species on February 2018. Now I am writing about my experiences with growing 4 new species + a few additional photos of some ones described before.
Jaltomata viscosa = Schraderanthus viscosus fruits
Back-serrated Jaltomato (Jaltomata repandidentata) this is herbaceous perennial something similar to Common Jaltomato (J. procumbens) (other in details), distributed from Mexico to Bolivia. It has unequal anthers and its black fruits have something other taste  (without daylily-like aftertaste and more acidic) than of the second one. It often grows in natural range on coffee plantations. It can be easily grown in temperate areas in the same ways as common tomatoes and is not day-longevity sensitive (easily blooms in summer in northern areas). As in case of other Jaltomatos sow the seeds surface.
The flowers
Young fruits
The fruits are delicious
Tuberous root

Bohs Jaltomato, Small-fruit Jaltomato (Jaltomata bohsiana) – this herbaceous perennial native to Mexico is also similar to Common Jaltomato but has smaller fruits and small purple flowering calyxes, and taste of fruits is something different (they are sub-acid, delicious). Easy to growing in north temperate areas (as common tomatoes).   
The flowers
Young fruits
The flower in first day of blooming
The flower in a second day
Ripe fruits - they are very small, but tasty
Tuberous roots
Contorted Jaltomato (Jaltomata contorta) – this species known only from Peru where grows in such habitats as steeps or rugged places or cliffs. Very similar to other black berry Jaltomatos, especially J. repandidentata, but varies from this last by straight filaments and the anthers uniform in size (J. repandidentata has sigmoid filaments and exhibits size variation among the undehisced anthers in a flowers). According me it is very similar to J. procumbens, and I saw that this name (Jaltomata contorta) is often given as synonym name to widely treated species J. procumbens (but they differ mainly by distribution range – because J. procumbens does not grow in Peru). The fruits have very similar taste to Common Jaltomato (J. procumbens). 
The plant in flowers
The flower in first day of blooming
The flower in the second day
The ripe fruits
Tuberous roots

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Sticky Red Jaltomato (Schraderanthus viscosus, syn. Jaltomata viscosa) this is tall herbaceous annual or perennial herbaceous shrub native to Mexico. This is very characteristic species with unique combination of features, which is not meet in other relatives so it has been recently excluded from genus Jaltomata to  monotypic genus Schraderanthus. It creates large, bright red berries, which are covered by large green calyx first, which becomes yellow and flat, and next strongly reflexed and red at fruit maturity. These berries are probably inedible (bitter in taste). Also its greenish-white flowers are quite large. Whole plant is sticky and glandular pubescent. It needs rather long growing period and should be sown early (but it is possible to grow it as annual in northern temperate areas, especially if it is grown in pots taken inside in autumn, where fruits can easily mature). Needs much of sunlight and well drained, fertile soil, and is resistant to water-lodging when grown in pots. A very interesting taxon, hard to find in trading.
This is tree-like plant
Young flower
The flowers are quite large

Young fruit
Ripening fruit

The plant in fruits
Fully ripe fruit
Fruits fall down when ripe
The fruits of this species are bitter and inedible
Jaltomate Negro, Creeping False Holly,Common Jaltomato (Jaltomata procumbens) - this subtropical herbaceous perennial from USA (Arizona), Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela which I have already described before. I would like only to add here that the tuberous rootstocks of this species can be easily stored by winter in cool, frost free place in moist sand or sphagnum moss and next replanted in spring outside (in April or May, after last frosts). 

I grew two forms - one cultivated and one wild

The tuberous roots of cultivated form (2 years old)
The tubers of wild Mexican form (2 years old)
Green-fruit Jaltomato (Jaltomata tlaxcala) - I also described before this closest relative to the previous one, and last fall I noticed that it can be also easily stored by winter as this one. The fruits of this herb are very delicious  (better than Common Jaltomato) if they ripe in much of sunlight and warm, but if they are ripening in cool weather in autumn (due to late sowing date before) they are not tasty.
The tuberous roots