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Alchornea hirtella
Also called Zulu beadstring, Forest Bead String
Forest beadstring is a straggly shrub, climber or small tree of tropical African rainforest edges, riverbanks and waterfall spray zones. It is grown mainly as a wild or landscape plant rather than a common ornamental, and its key need is steady moisture in a humid, shaded or partly shaded spot.
Alchornea hirtella is a shrub or small tree in the genus Alchornea in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is native to tropical Central and Southern Africa.
Alchornea hirtella is native to Central and Southern Africa. Its range extends from Senegal, Uganda and Kenya, southwards to Angola, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa. It grows, sometimes in profusion, as an understorey shrub in tropical rain forest and in secondary forest, in riverine corridors and in the splash zone around waterfalls. It can grow at altitudes of up to 2,500 metres (8,200 ft).
Stakes made of Alchornea hirtella wood easily root and are used for bean poles. Branches are split for use in basketry and the wood is sometimes used in construction and as firewood.
Alchornea castaneifolia · Christmasbush · Manyflower Christmasbush · Alchornea glandulosa · Native holly · Alchornea integrifolia · Achiotillo · Alchornea leptogyna · Alchornea sodiroi · Alchornea triplinervia · Alchornea
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Alchornea hirtella by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
