Urera obovata
Urera obovata
Safety & Hazards
The plant bears irritant hairs, those on the leaves having a particularly strong sting. Sap from the leaves, flowers and fruit will raise a rash on even the toughest skin[ 332 Title The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. Publication Author Burkil. H. M. Publisher Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. Year 1985 - 2004 ISBN Description Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/ ].
Botanical Description
Urera obovata is a strongly stinging shrub that can be just 1.2 - 1.8 metres tall when growing in more open areas on the ground, but more commonly becomes a climbing plant or epiphyte, growing up the trunks of trees and attaching itelf by means of adventitious roots with prickle-like protuberances. It such conditions it can climb into the forest canopy, producing stems up to 30 metres long[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. , 544 Title Cataloge of African Plants Collected by Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch in 1853 - 1861 Publication Author Hiern. W.P. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Longmans & Co.; London. Year 1898 ISBN Description In 6 volumes, it gives botanical descriptions and some uses of the plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of fibre.