Nettles, Stinging (Urtica dioica) seeds, organic

hi dawn, thanks for writing. in the colder zones 6 and under, probably best to sow in spring. warmer zones 7 and up can fall sow to get a jump on it. r

hi dave, that’s the common name of the plant, “stinging nettles.” The plant has hollow hairs that act like little hypodermic needles and inject the unwary with formic acid. the experience is generally considered uncomfortable but temporary. meanwhile this plant is a well-respected food and medicinal herb. r

hi victoria, these are clean and untreated, organically certified seeds. a packet isn’t going to make much tea, though! r

hi kendra, if you double-click on the photo its going to give you the monograph that contain s all the pertinent germ info. anyhow these are a standard warm soil geriminator. don’t put them on a heatpad or anything like that, just plant them in a tray in the greenhouse. they come right up. r

Hi Jake, The subspecies designation on nettles is a contested subject. The main differentiating factor between true medicinal nettles and lookalikes is the sting. If it stings, you’re in. We used to carry a different species (urens) but now carry only dioica. From the ABC website: While the American Herbal Products Association’s Herbs of Commerce, 2nd ed., narrowly defines stinging nettle as a subspecies (U. dioica subsp. dioica), the European Pharmacopoeia does not make such a distinction. Version 1.1 of The Plant List states that U. dioica subsp. dioica is a synonym of U. dioica. The taxonomy of U. dioica remains controversial, as demonstrated by the conflicting information in Herbs of Commerce and The Plant List. There is also some disagreement about the classification of U. dioica subsp. gracilis (California nettle). Many authors (likely incorrectly) state that U. dioica (or subspecies) is native to the Americas and eastern Asia. While older literature suggests that U. dioica is native throughout the entire Holarctic region (non-tropical parts of Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America), new taxonomic research calls this into question, suggesting that, for example, American species are distinct and should be removed from U. dioica and placed instead into U. gracilis as the “New World-sister” to U. dioica. In particular, it is proposed that U. dioica subsp. gracilis be changed to U. gracilis subsp. gracilis.

Hello Kea,
Yes, it does.
Richo

Hi CW,
Nettles are dioecious, meaning that the plants are either male or female.  They are not self-fertile, as both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Male plants will have pollen but not make seeds and female plants will produce flowers and make seeds. The seeds themselves will grow into either male or female plants.
Richo