Girardinia diversifolia

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Girardinia diversifolia
Girandinia diversifolia Anamudi shola Kerala IMG 1848.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Urticaceae
Genus: Girardinia
Species:
G. diversifolia
Binomial name
Girardinia diversifolia
(Link) Friis
Synonyms [1]
  • Girardinia adoensis(Steud.) Wedd.
  • Girardinia armataKunth nom. illeg.
  • Girardinia chingianaeS.S.Chien
  • Girardinia condensata(Hochst. ex Steud.) Wedd.
  • Girardinia erosaDecne.
  • Girardinia formosanaHayata ex Yamam.
  • Girardinia furialisBlume
  • Girardinia heterophylla(Vahl) Decne.
  • Girardinia hibiscifoliaMiq.
  • Girardinia javanicaWedd.
  • Girardinia leschenaultianaDecne.
  • Girardinia longispicaHand.-Mazz.
  • Girardinia palmataBlume nom. illeg.
  • Girardinia vahliiBlume nom. illeg.
  • Girardinia vitifoliaFranch. nom. illeg.
  • Girardinia vitifoliaWedd.
  • Girardinia zeylanicaDecne.
  • Urtica adoensisHochst.
  • Urtica adoensisHochst. ex Steud.
  • Urtica buraeiH. Lév.
  • Urtica condensataHochst. ex Steud.
  • Urtica diversifoliaLink
  • Urtica heterophyllaVahl
  • Urtica lobatifoliaS.S. Ying
  • Urtica palmataForssk.

Girardinia diversifolia, commonly known as the Himalayan nettle [2] or Nilghiri nettle, [3] is a plant species native to Nepal and in the Himalayan parts of India such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and in vast parts of China. [4] It grows naturally at elevations between 1,200 to 3,000 metres (3,900 to 9,800 feet). It is a shade tolerant, tall, stout and erect herb growing up to 3m height with perennial rootstock. The plant grows as a clump, and each clump has many stems. The stem contains bast fiber of unique quality which is strong, smooth and light. [5]

Contents

Description

It is a 1.5 to 3 metres tall [6] perennial herbaceous shrub that grows without cultivation all over Nepal. [7] It most frequently occurs in the hilly and mountainous regions at altitudes up to 3000 m. [8]

Uses

Traditional users of Allo are ethnic groups from across Nepal, including the Kulung, Gurung, Magar, Rai and Tamang people. [9] Allo products are culturally important to both the Gurung [9] and the Rai. [8] It is also sold for commercial and non-religious purposes. [7] Non-fibre uses of the plant range from fodder and fuel wood, [8] to use as a live fence and in traditional medicines. [9] Allo fibre is very flexible and has high tenacity, [10] allowing it to be used in a multitude of applications ranging from clothing and bags to floor mats and rope. [9] [11] [12] Fibres made from allo are fully biodegradable. [10]

References

  1. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species" . Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Girardinia diversifolia". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  3. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. ↑ url=
  5. ↑ Assessment of Allo Production and Enterprise Potential in Parbat District
  6. ↑ Singh, S.C.; Shrestha, R (1988). "Girardinia diversifolia (Urticaceae), a non-conventional fiber resource in nepal". Economic Botany. 42 (3): 445–447. doi:10.1007/BF02860167. JSTOR   4255095.
  7. 1 2 Dunsmore, J (1998). "Microenterprise development: Traditional skills and the reduction of poverty in highland nepal". Himalaya, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies. 18 (2): 22–27.
  8. 1 2 3 Barakoti, T; Shrestha, K (2008). "Commercial utilization of allo (Girardinia diversifolia) by the rais of sankhuwasabha for income generation". Banko Janakari. 18 (1): 18–24. doi: 10.3126/banko.v18i1.2162 .
  9. 1 2 3 4 Gurung, A; Flanigan, H; Kumar Ghimeray, A; Karki, R; Bista, R; Gurung, O.P. (2012). "Traditional knowledge of processing and use of the himalayan giant nettle (Girardinia diversifolia (Link) Friis) among the Gurungs of Sikles, Nepal". Ethnobotany Research and Applications. 10: 167–174. doi: 10.17348/era.10.0.167-174 . hdl: 10125/23553 .
  10. 1 2 Bajpai, P.K.; Meena, D; Vatsa, S; Singh, I (2013). "Tensile behavior of nettle fiber composites exposed to various environments". Journal of Natural Fibers. 10 (3): 244–256. doi:10.1080/15440478.2013.791912.
  11. ↑ Shrestha, R (1999). "Improvements on the traditional harvesting practice of girardinia diversifolia". Tropical Agriculture Research and Extension. 2 (1): 74–75.
  12. ↑ Dunsmore, J (1998). "Crafts, cash and conservation in highland nepal". Community Development Journal. 33 (1): 49–56. doi:10.1093/cdj/33.1.49.
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