Fire Nettle

Urtica ardorium, more commonly known as the Fire Nettle, is a herbaceous flowering plant descended from the old world stinging nettle plant. While it remains a relatively mundane species compared to some members of the new world’s plant kingdom, the ether within it has caused its stinging oils to become significantly more potent.

The fire nettle begins germination in the late spring. It grows a large root system using the nutrients from its seed before sprouting in the early summer. The fire nettle requires a large amount of sunlight in order to thrive, typically only surviving in regions where it can receive as much light as possible to grow. If a fire nettle does not receive enough sunlight during its juvenile period, it will oftentimes become stunted and be unable to reproduce. Stunted plants are also more susceptible to disease and climate change, and don’t often survive their first winter.

Fire nettles that receive an appropriate amount of sunlight will begin to grow a large base of “baby” leaves around their stem known as their “stump”. The baby leaves of a nettle are harmless, very rarely carrying any stinging hairs. Instead the sturdy leaves curl protectively around the central stem to prevent it from being destroyed. As long as the central stem survives, the plant will continue to live, even if the baby leaves die off. The stump will continue to grow for around two months as the plant matures. At around three months of age, the baby leaves will wilt and die, and the central stem will rapidly grow as the plant reaches maturity. New adult leaves will sprout from the stem, as well as long inflorescences that will grow anywhere from 18 - 60 budlings on average.

The breed of a fire nettle is difficult to parse until it flowers for the first time. The most notable phenotypical difference between the different breeds of nettle are the color of their flowers, and the properties of the fruit they produce.

The Soulflame breed of nettle is known for its brilliant white blooms. It also is the hottest breed of nettle, known for its ‘white heat’ that reigns unbeaten by any other breed. For the few folk with enough avian genetics to develop an immunity to capsaicin, it’s reported to taste rather bland beyond its heat.

The Darkflame nettle has glossy, deep purple flowers that stand out from its much more vibrant peers. Darkflame nettlefruit are easily the most tolerable of the four accepted breeds, having more of a ‘sweet heat’ due to their higher sugar content.

Sungold nettles are easily one of the most eye-catching breeds, being the ones most commonly bred for their looks rather than their practical benefits. Their bright yellow blooms flower for much longer than the other breeds, and their fruits are much smaller, considered ‘undesirable’ compared to other nettlefruits. Their fruits have bitter, tangy undertones, and when ground into powder have a similar taste to lemon pepper.

Classic pyre nettles are the original wild type of nettle. While less outstanding than its peers in terms of appearance or flavor, it’s still a staple of folk culture and popular among botanists and farmers alike. Pyre nettles have a peppery, slightly sweet fruit that is harvested both in its ripe state and while still ripening. Ripening nettlefruit have a milder, herbaceous taste, while ripe nettlefruit are very rich in both their spicy and sweet flavors. Classic pyre nettles are oftentimes considered the most iconic breed, and are the ones most commonly depicted within folk education and media.

Regardless of their breed, mature fire nettles show few differences in their overall health and lifespan from other breeds of their species. Their pollination season lasts from mid summer through autumn, and when the cold sets in, the stalk of the plant will wilt while the ‘stump’ hibernates throughout the winter. Come next spring, the nettle will grow once again from its stump, repeating this process for all 6-8 years of the average specimen’s lifespan.

Fire nettles are generally considered a beginner plant for prospective gardens, being hardy plants that are easy to care for and require minimal intervention after their first growing season. New gardeners be warned, however- the leaves of the mature fire nettle give the plant its name, covered in fine stinging hairs that can cause rashes and burns. ‘Nettleburn’ is a severe rash that forms due to a nettle’s sting- the inflamed area can remain painful and itchy for weeks after exposure.

Fire Nettles are very common garden plants- they’re hardy, striking, and have many practical usages that make them much more than just a pretty face.

The fruit of the nettle can be eaten fresh or dried and ground into powder, serving as a New World substitute for peppercorns. Each fruit has its own unique flavors both when consumed fresh or ground— for example, White nettlefruit are much hotter than any other variant, and when ground, can be comparable to ghost pepper chili powder compared to a red nettlefruit’s more classic red pepper flavor. Diced nettlefruit can be a quicker alternative to getting your heat fix in a meal than waiting a few weeks for the fruits to completely dry, but dried fruits will have a much more intense flavor than fresh ones. If one cannot wait for their nettle to produce fruit, the petals of the nettle flower can be brewed into tea, giving it a warm, rich edge and elevating any mix of leaves it is added to.

Nettle leaves are also edible when the plant is young, and some nettles are grown specifically to be harvested for their leaves— as the plant can survive as long as its central root system is undamaged, a special cultivar of nettle was grown to never grow past its juvenile stage, becoming an efficient source of greens known as ‘netchuga’. Netchuga plants are the same species as the fire nettle, a fact that can shock younger folk who may not have known the common nettle was so versatile! Netchuga has a taste similar to spinach, and can be dried into delicate crisp snacks that come in many tasty flavors.

Far beyond its edibility, the nettle even has uses within medicine and textiles. Much like the old world stinging nettle from which it evolved, the fire nettle’s tea has a soothing effect that can help combat seasonal allergies- and the oils from the nettle’s leaves can be extracted and combined with other ingredients to create an anti-inflammatory paste. Topical application of this paste along with clever usage of Soothe Pain can quell even the most severe cases of arthritis within elderly Folk- oftentimes it’s used in magic classes to assist apprentice healers in helping their patrients.

Nettle fiber, extracted from the stem, is both flexible and durable, as well as heat-retardant. It can be used by itself to make rope, netting and wire— and when combined with other textiles, it can be used to produce cool, breathable summer clothing.

Fire nettles have been associated with fire and healing magic for generations. Many medical associations within the Promethean Society use the nettle as a symbol of healing, both due to the plant’s medicinal properties and its inspiring hardiness. The nettle is especially prevalent as a symbol within associations that assist the elderly, and support groups for folk that deal with chronic pain. It’s not uncommon to see fire nettles planted outside of assisted living facilities- to the point where some folk may assume a medical building is an assisted living facility purely based off of its front lawn!

Fire magic enthusiasts also oftentimes use nettles, due to the long-standing superstition that nettlefruit consumption can improve a caster’s fire spells. Although the superstition was proven to be a myth hundreds of years ago, traditions around fire casters and nettlefruit have endured regardless. It’s not uncommon for newbie casters to be tricked by their upperclassmen into consuming large amounts of nettlefruit to ‘cheat’ at upcoming fire magic exams. Angus, at least, won’t stop these poor souls from burning their tastebuds to ash- that’s a lesson for them to learn, and for him to laugh about.

Competitions to see who can eat the most nettlefruit in one sitting are also quite common among young folk. The Firefolk Examineers Union holds a biannual charity event where participants consume as many nettlefruit as they can stomach while answering interview questions. Folk who can’t taste capsaicin are given an alternative challenge to consume other strong-tasting foods, such as the absurdly sour Jester Pods. It’s rumored they even got Lola Mae Grimsby to participate in the FEU Hot Seat at one point… though that rumor was started over fifty years ago, and it's gotten more and more fantastical with age.