URTICACEAE - NETTLE FAMILY
Scientific Description:
Herbs or shrubs, rarely trees or climbers, usually with epidermal cystoliths, frequently with stinging hairs. Leaves simple, alternate or opposite, usually stipulate. Flowers small, monoecious or dioecious; inflorescence axillary, basically cymose, or reduced to a single flower. Perianth small and green (when present), actinomorphic, of 4−5 free or connate segments. Male flowers with 4−5 stamens opposite perianth segments; anthers bilocular, longitudinally dehiscent; rudimentary ovary usually present. Female flowers with the perianth similar but often accrescent in fruit, with or without staminodes. Ovary unilocular, free or adnate to the perianth, with a solitary erect ovule; style simple, stigma ± penicillate. Fruit a dry achene or more rarely a drupe; seed usually with endosperm.
Reference:
Davis PH (1982). Urticaceae,In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 7: 633.
Public Description:
Urticaceae, commonly known as “nettle family”, consists of herbs, shrubs, small trees or climbers, and is found all over the world except for the polar regions. The stems and leaves of many species, especially the nettles (Urtica L.), have stinging trichomes that cause a painful rash on the skin in contact.The stem fiber of some genera and species, e.g. ramie(Boehmeria nivea(L.) Gaudich.), is of high quality and used to make cloth, fishing nets, and ropes and for some industrial materials. Ramie is one of the oldest fiber crops, having been used for at least six thousand years, and is principally used for fabric production.
References:
Anonymous1 (2016) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urticaceae/Accessed date: 24.11.2016.
Anonymous2 (2018)https://www.britannica.com/plant/Urticaceae/Accessed date: 03.02.2018.
