Urticaceae FAMILY

Urera caracasana

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

The plant is furnished with stinging hairs, especially the stiff hairs of the inflorescence, but the pain produced is ephemeral and not nearly so severe as that of the related Urera baccifera[ 331 Title Flora of Guatemala Publication Author Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark Website http://www.archive.org/ Publisher Year 1946 - 1976 ISBN Description A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/ ].

Botanical Description

Urera caracasana is a coarse shrub or small tree, sometimes growing up to 10 metres tall. The round bole is straight or moderately so, up to 25cm in diameter, and can be unbranched for 3 metres. The plant has thick, pale branches and is provided throughout with short, straight, slender, more or less stinging hairs[ 331 Title Flora of Guatemala Publication Author Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark Website http://www.archive.org/ Publisher Year 1946 - 1976 ISBN Description A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/ , 453 Title Woods of Northeastern Peru Publication Author Williams L. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ Publisher Field Museum Press; Chicago. Year 1936 ISBN Description Gives information on the properties of the wood of well over 1,000 species of woody plants from northeastern Peru. Can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of fibre. It is cultivated as a hedge in many areas within its native range and in Maya home gardens of eastern Yucatán it is grown for medicinal purposes[ 317 Title Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants Publication Author Website http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Terse details of a huge range of useful plants. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeS. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; C. America - Panama to Mexico; Caribbean.

HabitatCommon in moist or wet thickets or often in dense mixed forest, often abundant in secondary growth, it is also much planted for hedges; found at elevations from 900 - 2,900 metres[ 331 Title Flora of Guatemala Publication Author Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark Website http://www.archive.org/ Publisher Year 1946 - 1976 ISBN Description A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/ ].