Laportea canadensis
Laportea canadensis
Safety & Hazards
The leaves have stinging hairs, much like stinging nettles (Urtica species) to which they are related[ 407 Title BoDD (Botanical Dermatology Database) Publication Author Website http://bodd.cf.ac.uk/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Brief notes on a very wide range of plants that have reports of causing harm to the skin. ]. The sting is often mild, though it can give the sensation of intense burning and itching, but it usually lasts for less than an hour[ 293 Title Poisonous Plants of North Carolina Publication Author Website http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes. ].
Botanical Description
Laportea canadensis is a perennial plant growing from a tuberous rootstock; it produces a clump of stems 30 - 150cm tall[ 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.