Himalayan Nettle
Girardinia diversifolia
Family: Urticaceae
What it is like
Girardinia diversifolia is a ANNUAL/PERENNIAL growing to 3 m (9ft 10in). It is in flower from September to October, and the seeds ripen from October to November. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). . Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 3
Where it is found
Waste ground and shrubberies, 800 - 2700 metres in the Himalayas. Moist, shady, forested areas at elevations of 1200 - 3000 metres in Nepal.
E. Asia - India to China and Malaysia.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Young leaves and inflorescences - cooked as a green vegetable. Care should be exercised when harvesting the leaves because they have stinging hairs. However, these hairs are neutralized by heat and so the cooked leaves are perfectly safe to eat.
Medicine
Rating: 2
A decoction of the roots and basal stems is mixed with wine and drunk as a cure for malignant boils. A decoction of the roots, mixed with Centella asiatica, is used to treat gastric troubles. The juice of the root is used to treat constipation. The fresh juice of the leaves is applied externally in the treatment of headaches and swollen joints. A decoction of the plant is used to treat fevers. The ashes of the plant are applied externally in the treatment of ringworm and eczema.
Eczema: Used in the treatment of eczema - a chronic health condition that affects the skin, causing redness, dryness, itching and infections.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Miscellany: Various medicinal actions that need more clarification.
Other
Rating: 2
A fibre is obtained from the stem. It is fine and silky and is used for making coarse cloth, ropes and twine. Yields of fibre are around 600kg per hectare.
Fibre: Used for making cloth, rope, paper etc.
Miscellany: A rag-bag of items that are difficult to categorise.
How it is grown
We have almost no information on this species and do not know if it can be grown outdoors in Britain. The species type, Girardinia diversifolia ssp diversifolia, is a perennial plant, but the ssp G. diversifolia suborbiculata is an annual. Since the plant can be grown as an annual there is a good chance of success in temperate climates especially if the plants are started early in a greenhouse. Plants can be dioecious or monoecious, though the annual form is generally monoecious.
Propagating it: Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in May. If you have sufficient seed it might be worthwhile trying a sowing outdoors in situ in the middle of spring. Division of roots.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual/Perennial
Hardiness:
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
This plant has very virulent stinging hairs.
Its other names
Local names
Synonyms
G. heterophylla. G. palmata. Gaud. Urtica heterophylla.