Oreocnide integrifolia

Oreocnide integrifolia, or wild rhea, is in the nettle family. The family name is Urticaceae. It grows as an evergreen shrub or tree in wet tropical lands. Its native range takes in southwest India. It runs from eastern Nepal into China and reaches western Malesia. In China, it grows in rain forests and valleys. In India, it grows beneath trees in disturbed evergreen forests. These sites stay wet, and taller trees cast shade.

Garden sources give a height and spread of 39 feet [12 metres]. Wider accounts give heights of 16–66 feet [5–20 metres]. The leaves stay on the plant all year. Some nettle kin have hairs that sting. This plant has none on its leaves or stems. It is dioecious: male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Grow both sexes if you aim to raise seeds. The supplied sources give no more facts about flowers or fruit.

Choose dappled shade and fertile soil rich in humus. Plants For A Future says it can take deeper shade too. That source lists sand, loam, and clay as suitable soils. The soil can be mildly acid, neutral, or mildly alkaline. Keep it moist or wet, not dry. Plants For A Future lists USDA zones 10–12. Accounts of its growth do not agree. One summary says it grows slowly. The notes on how to grow it say growth is fast. They also say it grows back well after cuts.

The stems yield brown fibre prized for strength and its ease of bending. People use it to make rope, nets, and coarse cloth. Much comes from wild plants for use in the local area. Some growers raise the tree as a fibre crop too. They can cut it back each year for fresh stems. Shoots used for fibre must be less than one year old. To get the fibre, strip off the outer skin. Then scrape away the gummy matter. Grow new plants from seed, stem cuttings, or root cuttings.

Its recorded worth lies chiefly in fibre, not food. Plants For A Future lists no known food or medicinal uses. Both plant sources report no known hazards. This does not prove it is safe for people or pets. The supplied evidence names no pests or diseases. It gives no specific uses for looks or wildlife either.