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A Natural History of Nettles

by Keith G R Wheeler

312 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); b&w illustrations, reproduced in color on supplemental CD; catalogue #04-0522; ISBN 1-4120-2694-6; US$26.29, C$32.99, EUR21.99, £14.99

Nettles, followers of mankind, steeped in folklore. Enter their fascinating and beautiful world without being stung! Learn about their great utility which has alleviated suffering during war, disease and famine.

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About the book      About the author      Reviews      Excerpts     
Samples of the full colour images included on CD      Catalogue info

About the Book The first book ever on the much maligned nettles of the world presents a story of these followers of mankind and his cattle throughout history. This study centres on the most abundant and sub-cosmopolitan common stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), but also deals with other nettles throughout the world. Tropical tormentors rich in species include the notorious nettle trees with their formidable stings which fascinated the Europeans after their discovery by botanists on the round-the-world trips of exploration in the 17-19th centuries. Many people on their travels will have met the nettle trees of the Indo-Malay region and other stinging nettles in North and South America, India, etc., which sting and have beautiful flowers but are called nettles; these are also dealt with. The first microscopists and their descriptions of the beautiful stinging hair; the uncovering of the mechanism of its action and the more recent elucidation of the toxins causing the characteristic symptoms is a fascinating one and takes up 3 chapters. The book includes the 100 major scientific works published on the common stinging nettle and never brought to the notice of the general public before. The author spent six years studying the ecology of the nettle patch, its invertebrate herbivores (mainly insects) and vertebrate herbivores (cattle, deer, etc.,) and their interactions with other plants: its secret life is recorded in line drawings and photographs (1000+ individual items). It was not possible to publish these in colour but they are in full colour on a CD-ROM (300 dpi) at the back of the book. Covered also are nettle folklore, fibre use in World War I & II, as a food, fodder, herbal medicine, growth as a competitor plant, habitats, sex (unique exploding stamens), breeding systems, variation, evolution etc.!! Some the world's most beautiful butterflies would not exist without nettles.

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About the Author

Born in North London at the beginning of WWII. Main interest is general natural history whilst specialist areas are plants, fungi, and insects (mainly butterflies & moths). Other interests are microscopy and photography. Qualifications are B.Sc. Botany, London (Kings College) 1962, Ph. D. Ecology, (Exeter) 1982. Teacher of Biology and Science at secondary school level. Part-time freelance photographer (mainly natural history) in the 80s to the present. Publication of photographs/articles in Amateur Photographer, and other magazines and books. Awards for photographic competitions include: BBC Wildlife, 1985, first in category 'Beyond the Human Eye': Olympus 70th Anniversary, 1990, Grand Prix winner, category II, Nature Photo: Visions of Science, Novartis, 2002, Close-up category.