Montanoa tomentosa

Montanoa tomentosa is a woody plant in the Asteraceae family. Its native range runs from Mexico south to Costa Rica. The RHS also gives it the common name zoapatle. Useful Tropical Plants calls it hierba de la perida. The species has several forms, which differ in their looks. Kew calls it a tree of tropical lands with dry seasons. Useful Tropical Plants calls it an evergreen shrub. The two sources thus differ on the form it takes.

The shrub account gives a height of about 10 feet [3 metres]. It says the plant has many branches set close together. It keeps its leaves all year, which makes it evergreen. The accounts give no width for full-grown plants in gardens. They give no details on leaf shape, bark, or stems. The Useful Tropical Plants page shows photos of the flowers. Yet its text does not give their colour or form. It gives no bloom season or facts about the fruit.

In Guatemala, it grows in moist thickets and open woods. Some sites are wet, and many lie on rocky slopes. These sites range from 984 to 4,593 feet [300–1,400 metres] above sea level. Useful Tropical Plants says to grow it in sun. It calls for soil that drains well and reports fast growth. Wet sites in the wild do not show when to water garden plants. The accounts give no frost limit or hardiness zone. Growers can raise plants from seed or take softwood cuttings. They can also grow new plants from root cuttings.

People grow this species for its looks and for medicine. In Mexico, people gather wild plants for use as medicine. Some also grow plants for that same use. In folk medicine, people use the leaves for urinary problems. They also use them for chest and stomach complaints. People have used the roots to treat dysentery as well. These past uses do not prove that such treatments are safe.

The leaves can cause the womb to contract during childbirth. People have used them to help with birth in folk medicine. The same source warns that this use can be dangerous. Its general hazard entry should not suggest proof of safety. Useful Tropical Plants lists no known food uses or other uses. The supplied text gives no facts on pests or disease.