A wild, stinging weed from the Himalayan slopes has quietly become an eco-fashion material. Its fibre is now used to weave cloth across the hills.
🏛️ Must Know
Himalayan Nettle: A Sustainable Textile Fibre
- Identity Himalayan nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) is a wild, stinging plant of the nettle family.
- Local name Its stem fibre is known as “allo” in Nepal and parts of the Himalayan belt.
- Use The fibre is hand-spun and woven into cloth, bags, ropes, and mats.
- PYQ answer UPSC identified it as a sustainable source of textile fibre, not biodiesel or paper pulp.
Good to Know
📘 Good to Know
Where It Grows, and How the Fibre Is Made
- Range It grows wild from Uttarakhand’s Garhwal region across to Sikkim, and into Nepal.
- Altitude The plant thrives between 1,300 and 3,500 metres in the Himalayan hills.
- Processing Villagers harvest the stems, strip the bark, and extract fibre by hand.
- Labour Hand-spinning one kilogram of nettle yarn can take five to ten days.
📝 Previous Year Questions
UPSC CSP 2019 — Himalayan Nettle’s Sustainable Use
- UPSC 2019 UPSC asked what sustainable resource Himalayan nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) provides. The correct answer is textile fibre, not an anti-malarial drug, biodiesel, or paper pulp. See UPSC CSP 2019 GS Paper I, Q31. View this question.
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Great to Know
🌟 Great to Know
Fibre Strength and Growing Demand
- Strength Himalayan nettle fibre is longer, stronger, and more elastic than flax fibre.
- Research Scientists are testing it as a natural reinforcement in polymer composite materials.
- Livelihoods Nettle-fibre products now support rural incomes across Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Nepal.
- Caution The plant’s leaves carry stinging hairs that cause a long, painful rash.
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