Pilea villicaulis Hand.-mazz.

Species

Angiosperms > Rosales > Urticaceae > Pilea

Characteristics

Herbs perennial, rhizomatous, dioecious. Stems few branched, 20-50 cm tall, succulent, with galls on mid portion of internodes; stems and petioles densely spreading-villous or sometimes glabrous. Stipules persistent, broadly triangular, 2-3 mm, membranous, veinless; petiole unequal or subequal in length, 1-7 cm; leaf blade oblong-elliptic, rarely broadly ovate, unequal or subequal in size, 5-15 × 2.5-8 cm, membranous, 3-veined, lateral veins many, prominent abaxially, both surfaces sparsely pilose, base broadly cuneate, rounded or cordate, margin coarsely serrate or dentate, apex entire, acute or caudate. Inflorescences in pairs of dichotomous cymes compacted into clusters, 0.5-1.5 cm, often pubescent on the axis. Male flowers light green or pink, pedicellate, in bud ca. 1.5 mm; perianth lobes 4, 2 cymbiform, subapically corniculate, 2 oblong; stamens 4; rudimentary ovary small, conic. Female flowers subsessile, in bud ca. 0.7 mm; perianth lobes connate at base, unequal, abaxial lobe cymbiform, longer, subapically corniculate; staminodes 3, scale-like, oblong. Achene ovoid, ca. 1 mm, slightly compressed, oblique, strongly verrucose. Fl. Aug, fr. Oct.
More
A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It has rhizomes or underground stems. It grwos 20-50 cm tall. There are galls on the mid point of the internodes. The leaves are narrowly oval and 5-15 cm long by 3-8 cm wide.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.2 - 0.5
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It grows in Yunnan in China. It grows in shaded wet places near streams between 500-2,500 m above sea level.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

The leaves are eaten raw.
Uses -
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) 14 - 60
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 23
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Pilea villicaulis world distribution map, present in China

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:855888-1
WFO ID wfo-0001223952
COL ID 77KHK
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Pilea villicaulis Pilea villicaulis var. subglabra