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Dendrocnide meyeniana is a tree in the nettle family (Urticaceae), native to thickets and secondary forests of Taiwan and the Philippines, covered in stinging hairs that cause painful skin reactions. It is a wild forest species and is not grown as an ornamental or houseplant, so cultivation care does not apply.
Dendrocnide meyeniana, the poisonous wood nettle, is a species of tree in the family Urticaceae, native to the thickets and secondary forests of Taiwan and the Philippines. The specific epithet meyeniana honors Franz Meyen, who collected the type specimen in Manila during his world cruise.
In the Philippines, the city of Lipa in Batangas is named after this plant. Locals distinguish it primarily by the short stinging hairs on its twigs.
The poisonous wood nettle may cause acute dermatitis when the skin gets into contact with the stinging hairs on its leaves, or other parts such as stems or inflorescences. The fruit and receptacle are edible, but the stalk is not, because it is covered with stinging hairs. The stinging hairs of D. meyeniana are short and hard to see. Although the leaves are densely covered with stinging hairs, they are invisible to the eyes.
Dendrocnide corallodesme · Dendrocnide cordata · Stinging Tree · Giant Stinging Tree · Gimpi Gimpi · Stinging Tree · Shiny Leaved Stinging Tree · Dendrocnide sinuata · Dendrocnide urentissima · Nettle Trees
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dendrocnide meyeniana 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.
