Debregeasia longifolia (Burm. fil.) Wedd.

This species is very common in SW China; its morphology is variable, especially in leaf shape and petiole length. The plant fibers are of high quality.

Shrubs or small trees 3-6 m tall, dioecious or monoecious. Branchlets slender, reddish or purplish brown; branchlets and petiole densely spreading hirtellous. Stipules oblong-lanceolate, 6-10 mm, 2-cleft in distal 1/3; petiole 1-4 cm; leaf blade adaxially dark green, oblong- or obovate-lanceolate, sometimes linear or narrowly ovate, 7-18(-23) × 1.5-5(-6.5) cm, papery, sometimes thinly so, 3-veined, lateral ones straight, reaching to middle, secondary veins 5-8(-10) on each side from basal 1/3, anastomosing at margin, abaxial surface thinly greenish gray or gray-white tomentose, densely hirtellous on veins, adaxial surface sparsely appressed strigose, sometimes rugose, base rounded or subcordate, rarely broadly cuneate, margin finely serrulate or denticulate throughout, apex acuminate. Inflorescences borne on current and previous years’ branches, 2-4-dichotomously branched, 1-2.5 cm; peduncle 0.3-3 cm, spreading hirtellous; glomerules globose, 3-4 mm in diam.; bracts triangular-ovate, ca. 1 mm, membranous. Male flowers shortly pedicellate, obovoid in bud, 1.2-1.5 mm in diam.; perianth lobes 4, broadly ovate, puberulent abaxially, connate at middle, apex acute; rudimentary ovary sessile, obovoid, ca. 0.5 mm. Female flowers sessile, obovoid, ca. 0.8 mm; perianth tube membranous, 4-denticulate at apex. Achene reddish or orange, ca. 1-1.5 mm, enclosed by fleshy perianth and adnate to it. Fl. Aug-Dec, fr. Sep-Feb.

Himalaya (Kumaun to NEFA), India, Ceylon, Burma, Indo-China, W. China, Malaysia.

W Hubei, SE Gangsu, W Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, S Xizang, Yunnan [E Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, N Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].

1000-2000 m

Shady, moist places by streams, forests in mountain valleys; 500-3200 m.

Urtica longifolia N. L. Burman, Fl. Indica, 197 [“297”]. 1768; Conocephalus niveus Wight; Debregeasia dichotoma (Blume) Weddell; D. libera Chien & C. J. Chen; D. velutina Gaudichaud-Beaupré; Morocarpus dichotomus (Blume) Blume; M. longifolius (N. L. Burman) Blume; M. velutinus Blume; Urtica angustata Blume; U. dichotoma Blume.

Flowering from August to December; fruiting from September to February.

Debregeasia longifolia is occurring in W Hubei, SE Gangsu, W Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, S Xizang, Yunnan of China, E Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, N Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam.

Shrubs or small trees 3-6 m tall, dioecious or monoecious. Branchlets slender, reddish or purplish brown; branchlets and petiole densely spreading hirtellous. Stipules oblong-lanceolate, 6-10 mm, 2-cleft in distal 1/3; petiole 1-4 cm; leaf blade adaxially dark green, oblong- or obovate-lanceolate, sometimes linear or narrowly ovate, 7-18 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide, papery, sometimes thinly so, 3-veined, lateral ones straight, reaching to middle, secondary veins 5-8 on each side from basal 1/3, anastomosing at margin, abaxial surface thinly greenish gray or gray-white tomentose, densely hirtellous on veins, adaxial surface sparsely appressed strigose, sometimes rugose, base rounded or subcordate, rarely broadly cuneate, margin finely serrulate or denticulate throughout, apex acuminate. Inflorescences borne on current and previous years’ branches, 2-4-dichotomously branched, 1-2.5 cm; peduncle 0.3-3 cm, spreading hirtellous; glomerules globose, 3-4 mm in diameter; bracts triangular-ovate, ca. 1 mm, membranous. Male flowers shortly pedicellate, obovoid in bud, 1.2-1.5 mm in diameter; perianth lobes 4, broadly ovate, puberulent abaxially, connate at middle, apex acute; rudimentary ovary sessile, obovoid, ca. 0.5 mm. Female flowers sessile, obovoid, ca. 0.8 mm; perianth tube membranous, 4-denticulate at apex. Achene reddish or orange, ca. 1-1.5 mm, enclosed by fleshy perianth and adnate to it.

Growing in shady, moist places by streams, forests in mountain valleys; 500-3200 m.

The fibers of Debregeasia longifolia are of high quality.

Debregeasia longifolia also known as Orange Wild Rhea, is a large shrub growing up to a height of 5 meters seen in wet areas from plains to 1500m. Commonly found in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indo-China, west China and Malesia. In Matupi Township, Chin, Debregeasia longifolia is also known as Haikaeng Thing. Its wood is used for making charcoal and fiber used for fishing-lines. The fiber extracted from bark is used for house construction.