Debregeasia saeneb (Forssk.) Hepper & Wood

Common in moist places in the Northern Himalayas and Salt range, up to 2000 m. A strong fibre used to make ropes, is obtained from the bark.

Shrubs or small trees 2-5 m tall, often dioecious. Branches dark purplish, young branchlets and petioles sparsely spreading hirtellous and mixed snow white tomentose. Stipules oblong-lanceolate, 6-10 mm, 2-cleft at apex, tomentose along veins abaxially; petiole 0.5-3 cm; leaf blade adaxially green, oblong to linear-lanceolate, sometimes linear, 5-15 × 1.5-4 cm, thinly papery or papery, 3-veined, lateral ones straight, reaching to middle, secondary veins 4-6 on each side from middle of leaf, anastomosing at margin, abaxial surface thickly snow-white tomentose, fine veins invisible, sometimes sparsely appressed pubescent on main and secondary veins, adaxial surface sparsely appressed strigose, sometimes rugose, base rounded, margin finely serrulate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences borne always on previous years’ branches, often flowering before leaf flush, 1-2-dichotomously branched or solitary, 0.5-1 cm; peduncle 0-0.5 cm, appressed pubescent; glomerules globose, 4-6 mm in diam.; bracts obovate, ca. 2.5 mm, membranous. Male flowers shortly pedicellate, flattened in bud, 1.2-1.5 mm in diam.; perianth lobes (3 or)4, triangular-ovate, densely white tomentose abaxially, connate at base, apex acute; rudimentary ovary sessile, obovoid, ca. 0.5 mm. Female flowers sessile, obovoid, ca. 0.7 mm; perianth tube membranous, glabrous, 4-denticulate at apex. Achene orange, ca. 1 mm, stipitate at base, enclosed by fleshy perianth and adnate to it. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. May-Jul.

A dioecious, evergreen tall shrub or small tree. Stem with dark brown fibrous bark scabrous, young shoots whitish tomentose. Leaves with up to 2.5 cm long, densely tomentose petiole; lamina oblong - lanceolate 2-15 cm long, 0.6-3 cm broad, silvery tomentose beneath, scabrous and rugose above, serrate, acute; stipules linear-lanceolate up to c. 1 cm long, brown, deciduous. Male flower clusters larger than female flower heads. Calyx of male flowers campanulate, streaked orange-red and white, tomentose outside, 4-lobed, shorter than brown bracteoles; tubular-ovoid with narrowed mouth in female flowers. Stamens 3-5, exserted, anthers pale purple. Achenes fleshy, yellow, c. 1.5 mm long, pointed.

SW Xinjiang, S Xizang [Afghanistan, Kashmir, Nepal; Iran, Yemen, Ethiopia].

Abyssinia, Iran, Afghanistan, Himalaya (Kashmir to Nepal).

Distribution: India, Pakistan (Punjab, N.W.F.Province, Kashmir) Afghanistan and Tropical Africa.

1500-2400 m

Fl.Per.: March-June.

Shady, moist places by streams, forests in mountain valleys; 1700-2300 m.

Rhus saeneb Forsskål, Fl. Aegypt.-Arab. 206. 1775; Boehmeria salicifolia D. Don; Debregeasia bicolor (Roxb.) Weddell; D. salicifolia (D. Don) Rendle; Urtica bicolor Roxburgh.