Dolichandra unguis-cati

Botanical Description

Dolichandra unguis-cati is a vigorous, woody climbing plant, or occasionally a scrambling shrub. It can grow more than 20 metres into the crown of trees, with its main stems 8cm or more in diameter. The plant's common name, uña de gato, comes from the tripartite, hooked tendrils resembling an animal’s claws that enable the vine to adhere to tree bark and other surfaces[ 692 Title Wildland Shrubs of the United States and its Territories: Thamnic Descriptions Publication Author Francis J.K. (Editor) Website http://www.fs.fed.us/global/iitf/wildland_shrubs.htm Publisher USDA; Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestr Year 2000 ISBN Description An excellent series of papers, in PDF format, from various authors giving quite detailed information on a range of shrubs growing in the United States and its Territories. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The branches often produce aerial roots to anchor them tightly to vertical surfaces[ 692 Title Wildland Shrubs of the United States and its Territories: Thamnic Descriptions Publication Author Francis J.K. (Editor) Website http://www.fs.fed.us/global/iitf/wildland_shrubs.htm Publisher USDA; Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestr Year 2000 ISBN Description An excellent series of papers, in PDF format, from various authors giving quite detailed information on a range of shrubs growing in the United States and its Territories. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The plant is often harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and as a source of materials. A very ornamental plant, especially when in flower, it is often used to cover fences or screen unsightly buildings[ 692 Title Wildland Shrubs of the United States and its Territories: Thamnic Descriptions Publication Author Francis J.K. (Editor) Website http://www.fs.fed.us/global/iitf/wildland_shrubs.htm Publisher USDA; Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestr Year 2000 ISBN Description An excellent series of papers, in PDF format, from various authors giving quite detailed information on a range of shrubs growing in the United States and its Territories. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ].