Urera sansibarica Engl.

Liana climbing to 3 m. or perhaps more.. Stems with reddish brown, often peeling bark, usually with numerous protuberances up to 5 mm. high, crowned by stinging hairs; younger stems densely pubescent to hirtellous, older stems glabrescent.. Leaves: stipules fused for at least 2/3 of the length, 0.5–1 cm. long, densely pubescent outside, glabrous inside; petiole 2.5–11.5 cm. long, usually pubescent and densely covered by protuberances with stinging hairs; lamina herbaceous, dark green, often drying almost black, with paler underside because of dense indumentum, ovate to elliptic, 7.5–15 cm. long, 5–10.5 cm. wide, base cordate to subcordate or truncate, margin serrate with 25–35 teeth on each side, apex bluntly acute to acuminate; lateral nerves 4–5 pairs, basal pair extending into upper 1/2–1/3; upper surface subscabrous to smooth, glabrous or with a few short, stiff hairs, cystoliths punctiform, rarely somewhat elongated, lower surface with stinging hairs on the nerves and usually densely white-felted between the nerves or on the fine reticulation of the ultimate nerves.. Male inflorescences on 1–2 cm. long peduncles, up to 10 cm. in diameter, paniculate, with glabrescent to pubescent axes; flowers in small clusters at the branching-points and along the axes; ♀ inflorescence sessile or on peduncles up to 2 cm. long, pubescent, up to 5 cm. in diameter, with flowers in clusters surrounded by groups of stinging hairs.. Male flowers on pedicels 1–1.5 mm. long, articulated below perianth, 5-merous, perianth ± 1 mm. in diameter.. Female flowers sessile; perianth tubular, with 4 teeth at apex; ovary enclosed except for penicillate stigma.. Achene compressed, ±1.5 mm. long, enclosed in the persistent, red, fleshy, accrescent perianth.. Fig. 2/L–N, p. 8.