Pouzolzia sanguinea (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Pouzolzia sanguinea (Blume) Merr.

Family: Urticaceae

Synonyms

Pouzolzia viminea Wedd.

Vernacular names

• Ramie sauvage (Fr)
• Indonesia: jurang rambat, dlundum (Javanese), kepirit (Sundanese).

Distribution

From Indonesia (Java) to India and China.

Uses

The bark fibres are made into strong ropes, used for fishing nets. In Java an infusion of the roots is prescribed for patients vomiting blood. In Nepal a paste made from the roots is applied to boils.

Observations

A multi-stemmed, monoecious shrub, 1.5-3.0 m tall. Leaves simple, alternate; stipules small, inconspicuous; petiole 0.5-3 cm long; blade ovate-oblong or lanceolate, 2.5-17 cm × 1.5-6.5 cm, base obtuse, rounded or rarely subcordate, apex acuminate. Inflorescence axillary, rarely partly lateral clusters; male flowers shortly pedicellate; female flowers sessile, stigma 4-6 mm long. Fruit an achene, enclosed in wingless perianth. In Java P. sanguinea grows at altitudes from 100-1400 m in forest margins, brushwood and young secondary forest. It is easily propagated using cuttings. In studies in Indo-China in the 1940s, the bark of P. sanguinea yielded about 13% fibre. Rough bark strips contained 15% moisture, 37% cellulose, 5% hemicelluloses, 11% lignin and 11% ash. After degumming the fibre contained 7% moisture, 80% cellulose, 7% hemicelluloses and 1% lignin. The ultimate bast fibres were (2-)4.2(-6) mm long.

Selected sources

6, 20, 21, 71, 106, 111, 191.

Authors

M. Brink, P.C.M. Jansen & C.H. Bosch