PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
Malpighia urens
Malpighiaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Malpighia urens

Malpighia urens

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

This species possesses stinging hairs, and was noted to produce skin reactions[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Malpighia urens is native to subtropical and tropical regions. Prefers a fertile, well-drained soil in a sunny position with part-day shade[2]. Commonly found in the wild on thin, usually limestone soils, growing in windy conditions and in high sun exposure that favours a xerophytic flora[3].

Propagation

Seed - Cuttings - cuttings of half-ripe wood, with entire leaves, in a frame with bottom heat[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Malpighia+urens>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]BoDD (Botanical Dermatology Database) — http://bodd.cf.ac.uk/ ↩︎Brief notes on a very wide range of plants that have reports of causing harm to the skin.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  4. [4]Flowering Plants of Jamaica — Adams. C.D. · University of the West Indies; Jamaica. · 1972 ↩︎A terse treatment of the flowering plants of Jamaica, with a botanical description of each plant, notes on habitat etc.
  5. [5]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  6. [6]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  7. [7]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.