VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Urtica dioica | Stinging Nettle 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
The wildlife food value of stinging nettle is listed as poor [10],
probably because of stinging hairs on the foliage.  Stinging nettle
provides cover for small animals [10,16,42].


PALATABILITY : 
Stinging nettle is unpalatable to livestock [10].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Stinging nettle is very nutritious.  Stinging nettle hay contains 21 to
23 percent crude protein, 3 to 5 percent crude fats, 35 to 39 percent
non-nitrogen extracts, 9 to 21 percent crude fiber, and 19 to 29 percent
ash.  Amino acids in dehydrated stinging nettle meal are nutritionally
superior to those of dehydrated alfalfa (Medicago sativa) meal [1].


COVER VALUE : 
Mallards and gadwalls prefer tall, dense nesting cover provided by
graminoids and herbaceous vegetation including stinging nettle [42].
Stinging nettle is a component of roughs which are good cover for
sharp-tailed grouse in Wisconsin [16].  Although listed as generally
poor wildlife cover by Dittberner and Olson [10], stinging nettle cover
is listed as fair for small nongame birds and mammals in Utah.


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Stinging nettle may be tolerant of heavy metals.  It is an abundant
species on metal-contaminated soil on the floodplain of a former Rhine
River estuary in the Netherlands [31].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Boiled stinging nettle leaves are edible and can be substituted for
spinach [1,11].

Stinging nettle fibers were used by Native Americans in the Northwest to
make twine, fishing nets, and rope.  Stinging nettle has many medicinal
uses [45].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Stinging nettle is considered a weedy, invasive species.  It is listed
as a noxious weed in several Canadian provinces.  Stinging nettle hairs
are irritating to human skin, and the pollen is a major contributor to
summer hay fever [1].

When distributed through the soil by disturbance such as mechanical
cultivation, stinging nettle rhizomes can establish dense new colonies.
However, repeated plowing will eliminate stinging nettle.  When mowed,
stinging nettle sends up numerous bushy shoots [1].

Spraying with 2,4-D herbicide substantially reduced stinging nettle
cover in a central Wisconsin marsh [19].

Stinging nettle is used by foresters as an indicator of high soil
fertility [38].

Insects, micro-organisms, and viruses associated with stinging nettle
are listed [1].

Related categories for Species: Urtica dioica | Stinging Nettle