Common Name:

General Information

Ischnosiphon obliquus is a herbaceous perennial plant, forming a clump of growth up to 3.5 metres tall from an underground rhizome. The large leaves are clustered in nodes on top of the cane-like stem[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials for basket making and weaving. Handicrafts made from the plant are widely sold in the region and exported in small quantities to the Caribbean islands[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas.

Habitat

An understorey plant in secondary forests[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	3.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The leaves are rubbed on warts. A poultice of the crushed leaves is applied to cuts to stop bleeding and to prevent infection[].

Other Uses

The split stems yield a plaiting fibre used for making household equipment, which is generally of lesser quality than the fibre from hard mokru (Ischnosiphon arouma)[]. The stems are woven into low-grade sifters, matapis, fans, and other basketry[]. The strips are used as shoulder straps for makeshift warishis and to stitch troolie roofs. Entire stems serve as arrowstick, as a substitute for Gynerium sagittatum[].

The leaves are used as wrapping material and as small shelters to protect goods from the rain[]..

Propagation

Seed -

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