The Urticaceae are a family, the nettle family, of flowering plants. The family name comes from the genus Urtica. The Urticaceae include a number of well-known and useful plants, including nettles in the genus Urtica, ramie, māmaki, and ajlai.
Urtica dioica, often known as common nettle, burn nettle, stinging nettle or nettle leaf, or just a nettle or stinger, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae. Originally native to Europe, much of temperate Asia and western North Africa, it is now found worldwide. The species is divided into six subspecies, five of which have many hollow stinging hairs called trichomes on the leaves and stems, which act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation upon contact.
Urtica is a genus of flowering plants in the family Urticaceae. Many species have stinging hairs and may be called nettles or stinging nettles. The generic name Urtica derives from the Latin for 'sting'.
Lamium (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successful weeds of crop fields and are now widely naturalised across much of the temperate world.
Eleutherococcus is a genus of 38 species of thorny shrubs and trees in the family Araliaceae. They are native to eastern Asia, from southeast Siberia and Japan to the Philippines and Vietnam. 18 species come from China, from central to western parts.
Alpinia zerumbet, commonly known as shell ginger among other names, is a perennial species of ginger native to East Asia. The plants can grow up to 2.5 to 3 meters tall and bear colorful funnel-shaped flowers. They are grown as ornamentals and their leaves are used in cuisine and traditional medicine.
Parthenocissus tricuspidata is a flowering plant in the grape family (Vitaceae) native to eastern Asia in Korea, Japan, and northern and eastern China. Although unrelated to true ivy, it is commonly known as Boston ivy, grape ivy, and Japanese ivy, and also as Japanese creeper, and by the name woodbine.
Dendrocnide is a genus of approximately 40 species of plants in the nettle family Urticaceae. They have a wide distribution across North East India, Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. In Australia they are commonly known as stinging trees.
Dendrocnide moroides, commonly known in Australia as the suicide plant, stinging tree, stinging bush, or gympie-gympie, is a plant in the nettle family Urticaceae found in rainforest areas of Malesia and Australia. It is notorious for its extremely painful and long-lasting sting. The common name gympie-gympie comes from the language of the Indigenous Gubbi Gubbi people of south-eastern Queensland.
Urtica thunbergiana, also known as the Japanese nettle or hairy nettle, is a species of perennial herbs in the family Urticaceae. It is found in Japan, China and Taiwan. The habitat of the species is moist forests in the mountains. It is in flower from July to September, and its seeds ripen from August to October. The larvae of Vanessa indica, a species of butterfly, are known to feed on U. thunbergiana.
The flora of Taiwan is rich and varied due to the island's diverse geography and climate zones. The main island is situated on the Tropic of Cancer between China and the Philippine Sea basin. There are mountains in the east, running north and south on two-thirds of the island, with many peaks over 10,000 feet in elevation, and lower, flatter, and more fertile land to the west. The tropical climate, plentiful rainfall, and wide altitudinal range make for abundant and varied vegetation. Taiwan is home to over 4300 species of vascular plants, of which it is estimated that 600 are ferns, 28 are gymnosperms, 2400 are dicots, and 1000 are monocots.
Dendrocnide sinuata is a poisonous plant called pulutus', pulus, stinging tree, fever nettle, or elephant nettle, growing in subtropical wet evergreen forests throughout Asia. Some of its uses in herbal medicine have been scientifically validated.
A stinging plant or a plant with stinging hairs is a plant with hairs (trichomes) on its leaves or stems that are capable of injecting substances that cause pain or irritation.
A gua bao, also known as a pork belly bun, ambiguously as a bao, or erroneously as a bao bun, is a type of lotus leaf bun originating from Fujian cuisine. It is also a popular snack in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Nagasaki Chinatown in Japan.
Berberis morrisonensis, commonly known as Yushan barberry (Chinese:玉山小檗) or red fruit barberry (Chinese:红果小蘖、赤果小蘖) is a perennial deciduous shrub belonging to the genus Berberis and endemic to Taiwan.
Tao Bao, courtesy name Anbu, was a military general of Later Zhao during China's Sixteen Kingdoms period. Being one of Shi Le's Eighteen Riders, his most notable activities were his battles with Zu Ti, in which he defended the city of Pengguan and also helping Shi Le during his final push against Liu Yao in 328. He served up to Shi Hu's reign before dying in 340. His name can be rendered as Yao Bao.
Piper kawakamii, also known as the Kawakamii pepper, is a flowering plant in the family Piperaceae. It is a native endemic species in Taiwan. The plant is mainly distributed in the Hengchun Peninsula. It was collected by Takiya Kawakami at the Kuraru Community, on July 2, 1906. In 1911, the plant was published by Bunzō Hayata as a new species. The type specimen of this plant is being preserved in the Botanical Gardens, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Japan.and the Herbarium of Taiwan Forest Research Institute
Lonicera kawakamii, also known as Yushan honeysuckle or Kawakami’s honeysuckle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is endemic to Taiwan, where it is found at altitudes between 3000 and 3900 meters. It as rated as “Vulnerable” in the “Red List of Vascular Plants of Taiwan, 2017”.
Artemisia kawakamii, commonly known as Kawakami's mugwort, is a plant in the Artemisia genus under the Asteraceae family that is endemic to Taiwan. The plant is distributed on the Taiwan island, growing at elevations from 2,700 to 3,300 m. It is commonly found in gravelly, open, and arid slopes. The species has yet to be cultivated.
Syneilesis hayatae is one of two Taiwanese endemic plants in the genus Syneilesis, it is known as the Taiwan rabbit umbrella. Compared to the relatively stable population of Syneilesis subglabrata, this species was once thought to be extinct due to the lack of collection records for over half a century after World War II. In 2008 that the species was rediscovered in the lowland grasslands of Miaoli. Due to its small population size, the species was listed as “Critically Endangered (CR)” in the “Red List of Taiwan Vascular Plants, 2017.”
