Common Name:

General Information

Clidemia hirta is a densely-branching shrub that usually grows from 50 - 300cm tall, often forming impenetrable stands, especially if growing in good soils[, ].
The plant is harvsted from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is cultivated in tropical areas for its edible fruit[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia; C. America - Panama to Mexico.

Habitat

Moist or wet mixed forest or thickets, often in second growth; at elevations up to 1,300 metres but most commonly at the lower elevations[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	1.50 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics, it grows in areas that are usually characterized by very high humidity for most of the year with a dry period of about two to three months. In Hawaii it can be found from sea level to around 900 metres, it has become widespread in areas that receive more than 12,700mm of rain annually, though it can also be found in areas of annual rainfall in excess of 760mm with no dry season[].
Succeeds in deep shade as well as in open, sunny areas[]. Prefers a moist but well-drained soil[].
The plant has often escaped from cultivation and is considered an invasive plant in many areas[]. It is an aggressive invader which shades out all vegetation below it. The seeds are principally dispersed by alien frugivorous birds, but any organism moving through the thickets will carry seeds away with it. It is probably not resistant to fire, an unlikely event in its habitat, but it rapidly colonizes burned areas[].
Plants flower and fruit prolifically throughout the year[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. Rich in vitamin C[]. Sweet and pulpy[]. The blackish, dark purple, bluish or red, fleshy fruits are 5 - 7mm in diameter containing many minute seeds[].

Medicinal

The leaves are astringent and antispasmodic[]. A decoction of the leafy branches is taken to reduce excessive menstrual flow[]. An infusion is used to treat stomachache, and is also taken as an enema[].
A decoction of the leaves is used to cicatrize old wounds[]. Macerated in cold water, the leaves are used to make a woman's antiseptic genital bath to remedy haemorrhaging[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is a natural pioneer species within its native range, where it can rapidly invade disturbed areas[305. This can be beneficial within the plant's native range, where it can help to create the conditions necessary for restoring native woodland, but the plant also readily invades areas outside its native range, where it can displace native species[, ].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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