Tree Species (Scientific Name)
Urera caracasana
Medicinal
Product
Peru Common Name
Chalanca blanca
Tree Family
Urticaceae
Average Leaf Size (cm)
18cm
Length
×
15cm
Width
Tree Height
Shrub (1–10m)
Elevational Range (m)
350–2000m
0 3000
Distribution
Native
Exotic
Native to Peru

Native to

Region
Americas
Latin America
Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela

Coffee Agroforestry Information

Coffee System
Arabica
Coffee Impact
Beneficial to coffee
Prevalence
Unknown
Cultivation
Planted
Natural
Tree Management
Grows from seed and has a low incidence of pests.

Tree Benefits and Uses

Farmer Uses
  • Medicinal
  • Product
The fiber of the bark is used to make nets, clothing and paper. Used for diseases of the skin and epithelial tissue. The roots are boiled with honey and the liquid is used for stomach pain and to treat parasites. A tea made from the bark is used as a remedy for lung diseases. The leaf nettles brushed against the skin are used in the treatment of muscle pain.
Farm Services
  • Coffee Shade
  • Windbreak
  • Soil Improvement
Coffee Shade: presents partial or total leaf fall so the shade coverage depends on the rainy season
Biodiversity Benefits
Yes
It produces fruits in good quantity for fruit birds such as tanagers, euphonias and honeyeaters. It retains arthropods in leaves and bark mainly that are consumed by insectivorous birds.

Citations

Citations

Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2022-06-23. tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Urera+caracasana;

WFO (2022): Urera caracasana (Jacq.) Gaudich. ex Griseb. Accessed on: 24 Jun 2022. Published on the Internet http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000416547;

Urera caracasana (Jacq.) Griseb. in GBIF Secretariat (2021). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Accessed on 2022-06-24. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei;

Vásquez-Vélez, A.I. 2022-7-12. Urera caracasana (Jacq.) Griseb. En Bernal, R., S.R. Gradstein & M. Celis (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co;

Mendoza, A. L. M., & Guerrero, M. H. (2010). Catálogo de los árboles y afines de la Selva Central del Perú. Arnaldoa, 17, 203-242.