Nettle Tree (Urera baccifera)

Family: Urticaceae | Edibility: Edible (1/5)

Urera baccifera, or commonly known in various names such as Nettle Tree, Chichaste, Ortiga, Scratchbush, and Nigua, is a spiny flowering plant native to America. It grows about 5 m tall. The leaves are thin and toothed. The flowers, pink or purple, are borne in clusters. Male and female flowers are on different plants. The fruits are green or pinkish, spongy, and juicy. Seeds are dispersed by fruit-eating birds and capuchin monkeys.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

None known. — Harvested fresh in season according to PFAF botanical monograph.

Habitat & North American Range

Common or abundant in wet or dry thickets, often in secondary growth, mostly in the lowlands at elevations up to 850 metres, but occurring also at higher elevations in Guatemala possibly because it was planted. (Zone 10)