Common Name:

General Information

Laportea grossa is an evergreen, herbaceous perennial plant with a sprawling, spreading growth habit, growing up to 1 metre tall. The stems that lie on the ground form new roots at the nodes. The soft, upright stems are armed with downward-pointing stinging hairs[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food. Some forms of the plant have a decorative, glossy dark green foliage with conspicuous white spots, making it an excellent plant to brighten up a shady bed[].

Known Hazards

The plant is covered with stinging hairs that cause a sharp, burning sting that lasts a while and can cause temporary redness on the skin[].

Botanical References

Range

East Africa - Kenya to S. Africa.

Habitat

Moist, shady places in coastal forest, forest, closed woodland and near streams[].

Properties

Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a position in light to heavy shade[]. Prefers a moist but well-drained, humus-rich, fertile soil[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - cooked and eaten as a vegetable[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The sprawling growth habit of this plant, plus the ability to produce new roots at the leaf nodes, should make this a very good ground cover for shady places - especially if it is somewhere you want to stop the entry of humans or other animals[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a shaded position as soon as it is ripe, only just covering the seed.
Cuttings root easily in about 2 weeks[].
Division of rooted stems.

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