Pavonia urens
Cav.
Stinging pavonia
(c) bryanadkins, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Bart Wursten, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Bart Wursten
(c) Yuwaraj Gurjar, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Yuwaraj Gurjar
What to Eat
Edible parts: Flowers, Fruit
The flowers are cooked and eaten; the fruit is also edible.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows on the edge of forests. In Malawi it grows between 1,550-2,200 m altitude. In Zimbabwe it grows between 600-2,000 m above sea level.
Africa, Angola, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Reunion, Senegal, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A rambling shrub. The stems are soft. It grows 3 m tall. The stems and leaves are hairy. These can cause itching when touched. The flowers are purplish-red. The plant can vary in hairiness, leaf shape and flower colour.
How to Grow
A plant of the moist tropics, where it is usually found at elevations from 600 - 2,000 metres.
Medicinal Uses
The root is used for medicinal purposes.
Other Uses
A fibre obtained from the bark is used for making cloth and cordage.
Notes
The root is used for medicine.
Names & Synonyms
Chatata, Nchima, Tchone, Thoni
References (7)
- Chapman, J. D. & Chapman, H. M., 2001, The Forest Flora of Taraba and Andamawa States, Nigeria. WWF & University of Canterbury. p 187
- Diss. 3:137, t. 49, fig. 1. 1787
- Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 82
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 145
- White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. and Chapman, J. D., 2001, Evergreen Forest Flora of Malawi. Kew. p 355
- Williamson, J., 2005, Useful Plants of Malawi. 3rd. Edition. Mdadzi Book Trust. p 189
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
