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Laportea aestuans

(L.) Chew (1965)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Rosales Family: Urticaceae Genus: Laportea

West Indian wood nettle

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Herbs annual, to 1.3 m tall.

Stems: Stems erect, few-branched, upper stems and petioles densely armed with stinging hairs and long gland-tipped hairs.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades broadly ovate, 8-17 × 6-13 cm. Apex acuminate. Base rounded or cordate. Blade thinly papery, both surfaces armed with stinging hairs, denser on abaxial surface. Cystoliths punctiform, adaxially conspicuous. Margins dentate. 3-veined, lateral basal pair reaching middle margin, lateral veins 3 or 4 each side of midvein. Petioles 7-11 cm. Stipules ca. 10 mm, apex 2-cleft, deciduous.

Flowers: Inflorescences axillary, often bisexual, rarely all male, paniculate, male inflorescences in proximal axils, shorter, bisexual inflorescences in distal axils, 10-20 cm, peduncle 7-14 cm, with stinging hairs and often long gland-tipped hairs. Plants monoecious. Male flowers pedicellate, in bud ca. 1.5 mm; perianth lobes 4 or 5, connate at base, cymbiform, with a few long gland-tipped hairs and sparsely setulose, apex corniculate; stamens 4 or 5. Female flowers: pedicel ca. 2 mm, not winged; perianth lobes 4, free, unequal, dorsal lobe ovate, ca. 0.25 mm, 2 lateral lobes largest, enclosing the ovary, broadly ovate, ca. 0.5 mm, ventral lobe minute. Ovary superior, asymmetrically ovoid; style filiform; stigma slightly reflexed, ligulate, ca. 0.3 mm.

Fruit: Achenes obliquely ovoid; compressed; ca. 1.5 mm in diam.; both central surfaces with inconspicuously warty depression; persistent lateral perianth lobes forming a small; basal cup. Seeds with thin or no endosperm; cotyledons broad.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Potentially naturalizing
O'ahu Potentially naturalizing
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Water/Ocean

Pollinators

Specimens

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Bibliography

Name Published In: Gard. Bull. Singapore 21: 200 (1965)

Other References

Lau & Frohlich 2013:11 (NEWNAT/O, DESCR); Frohlich & Lau 2014:15 (H)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Laportea aestuans Lihue District. Timbers Kauai Ocean Club & Residences at Hokuala, large triangle area bordered by Ninini Point Road and runways beyond. Covered nursery are w/ Laportea aestuans in pots, Amaranthus spinosus, Ageratum, Leonotis nepetifolia, are a few of the seedling look-likes. Nursery-person first reports seeing them pop up in pots after new potting soil. Preserved_Specimen A plant as large as 3.5 ft with a 1-inch dbh was observed. Plants as small as 6 inches tall were observed to be fertile. Plants handled with bare hands no irratation. All parts with hairs. Leaves rugose, impressed veins, older leaves dark green, younger lighter, newest with yellow-green w/ pink. Info on one plane, (Not on sheet) Kauai BISH
2 Laportea aestuans Plant nursery, Kurtistown, Hawaii In container in nursery- not planted, possibly germinated from potting soil. Preserved_Specimen Upright herb about 53 cm tall. Flowers minute in a spray from leaf axils. HDOA Hawaii BISH 2012-11-28
3 Laportea aestuans Windward Oahu, Kualoa Ranch, Hakipuu near Kamehameha Hwy. Lowland disturbed area near house along a road. Preserved_Specimen Plant ca. 0.5 m tall, flowers white, short hairs on all surfaces. Population ca. 2 x 5 m in size, treated most plants out of caution, but a few remain. Have not yet seen it spreading up the road. Lee, J. 1 Oahu BISH 2020-09-10
4 Laportea aestuans Waimanalo, in a nursery. dry to mesic windward lowlands, nursery setting. Preserved_Specimen Upright herb to about 1 m, leaves variable in size, up to about 15 cm. Flowers greenish, held on upperside of inflorescence branches. Fruits appearing tan colored. Stinging hairs not causing noticable reaction to collectors. Arakaki, D. Oahu BISH 2012-05-03
5 Laportea aestuans Lihue District, Kauai Nursery and Landscaping, Puhi Growing off green waste pile Preserved_Specimen Jablonski, J. 101 Kauai BISH 2024-03-14
6 Laportea aestuans Kawaihau, Wailua homesteads, Kapaa, residential property Residential yard, Sedum (cultivated), Drymaria cordata, Phyllanthus tenellus, Ageratum conyzoides, Cyperus polystachyos. Preserved_Specimen Fast growing weeds that sprung up from an unmaintained raised-bed planter, surrounded by mowed grass. ~ 12 plants, all hand pulled, came up in a small area next to a planted Sedum that was purchased from Home Depot. Tallest was ~1 m tall, and the thickest are stout, mutli-branched shrubs, while others in th... A.M. Williams 849 Kauai BISH 2023-12-04
7 Laportea aestuans Mott Smith Dr. between Pililani Pl and Kalawahine Pl Sunny roadside, at base of recently planted shrub, seed or plant likely came with the shrub Preserved_Specimen One individual, did not sting Faccenda, K. 1882 Oahu BISH 2021-05-22
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