Common Name:

General Information

Girardinia diversifolia is an erect, very variable plant that can be annual or perennial and ranges in height from 25 - 250cm. The stems are straight; about 10mm in diameter at the base; they can become woody at the base; and can be branched or unbranched[, , , ].
The plant is an important local source of fibre and also provides food and medicines for local use. It is cultivated on the Nilgiris (S India) for the fibres of the stem. The plant has been grown in demonstration projects in Kenya aiming at producing fibre, paper and insecticide from the plant[]. Products made from the fibres are sometimes exported from Nepal[].

Known Hazards

The leaves and stems are densely covered in stinging hairs. These are very strongly irritating, the sting is said to last from only a few minutes to a few hours[, ].
The seeds are sometimes used as fish poison[].

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - widely distributed, especially in east Africa; E. Asia - China, Indian subcontinent, Korea, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

Forest margins, shady moist places, along streams, disturbed places, near villages; at elevations from 300 - 2,800 metres in southern China[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual/Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of moist areas in the warm temperate to tropical zones, where it is found at elevations from 100 - 3,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 12 - 18°c, but can tolerate 8 - 28°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 3,500mm, but tolerates 1,300 - 4,000mm[].
Succeeds in full sun and in light shade[]. Prefers partial shade[]. Succeeds in a wide range of well-drained soils[] Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.5, tolerating 6 - 8[].
A very variable species[]. Three main forms are recognised in China:-
Subsp diversifolia. A perennial form, the plants can be either dioecious or monoecious[].
Subsp suborbiculata. An annual form that is monoecious[].
Subsp triloba. An annual form that is monoecious[].
If a dioecious form is grow then both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked and eaten as vegetable[, ].

Flowers - cooked and eaten as a vegetable, usually with the leaves[, ].

The roasted and pickled seeds are eaten[].

Medicinal

The plants are febrifuge[].
Ash of the plant is applied externally for the treatment of ringworm and eczema[].

The plant is part of an antidote against snakebites[].

The root is boiled in goat’s bone soup, which is drunk to gain strength[]. The juice of the root is given as a treatment for constipation[].

Leaf preparations are used for the treatment of headache, fever and swollen joints[].

Other Uses

A good quality fibre that is long, strong, smooth and lustrous is obtained from the stems[, ]. It is used to make sewing threads, ropes, nets, and coarse cloth which is used for bags, sacks, jackets, porters' headbands and mats[, ]. A more recent development in Nepal is the production of vests, shawls and a range of other articles aimed at the tourist and export markets[]. The fibre is sometimes blended with ramie (Boehmeria nivea), cotton (Gossypium spp.) or wool[]. The woody stem parts can be used for papermaking[].
It has been tried to make barkcloth from the fibre, but complete removal of the stinging hairs has proved difficult[].
The fibre content of the stem is 3.5 - 13.2% on a dry weight basis[]. In studies in Indo-China in the 1940s, the bark yielded 61% fibre[]. The fibres can be up to 65cm long[]. The fibre is comparable to ramie fibre (Boehmeria nivea), but contains more gums, which, however, are removed easily. The fibre can be spun into long filaments[].
After harvesting, the leaves and stinging hairs are removed from the stem, and the bark is stripped off. In Cameroon the stinging hairs are removed with a cloth before the fibre is extracted from the stem[].
To extract the fibre in Asia, the bark is boiled for 3 - 4 hours in an alkaline solution made from wood ash, before it is beaten and washed until it is clean, after which it is rubbed with mica-rich clay, rice husk or maize flour, and dried in the sun. Rubbing with clay seems to have the combined effect of bleaching and lubricating the fibre[]. Alternatively, the fibre may be extracted by stripping the bark off the stem, after which it is washed or scraped until the fibre is clean, or the stripped-off bark is dried, and the fibre is freed by pounding, after which it is boiled with an alkaline solution, and then washed until it is clean[].

A blue dye is obtained from the plant[]. (part not specified)

The stems can be used as fuel[].

The seed contain 10 - 12% oil that can be used to make soap and other oil-based products[].

Propagation

Seed -
Division.

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