Tragia durbanensis, the stinging nettle creeper, is a twining herb in the family Euphorbiaceae,Pooley, E. (1998). A Field Guide to Wild Flowers; KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region. . with a restricted distribution in southern Africa.Swaziland's Flora Database: Tragia glabrata (Müll.Arg.) Pax & K.Hoffm. var. glabrata: http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/speciesinfo.asp?spid=1670, retrieved 1 March 2011.
Distribution and habitat It is native to the coastal areas of Mozambique and eastern coastal areas of South Africa. These plants are found in dune forest,JSTOR PLANT SCIENCE: Entry for Tragia glabrata var. glabrata [family EUPHORBIACEAE]: http://plants.jstor.org/flora/fz7111, retrieved 1 March 2011. in woodland and on forest margins.
Description A much-branched climbing perennial herb, with twining stems up to 2.5 m originating from a woody rootstock.JSTOR PLANT SCIENCE: Entry for Tragia glabrata Müll. Arg. Pax & K. Hoffm. [family EUPHORBIACEAE]: http://plants.jstor.org/flora/fz7110, retrieved 1 March 2011. The leaves are hairless or thinly hairy with serrated margins. The hairs sting fiercely. Inflorescences are up to 5.5 cm long with peduncles up to 2 cm long. The inflorescences are composed mostly of tiny male flowers with 1–2 female flowers below or else all male.
Synonyms Tragia capensis E.Mey. ex Sond. [Illegitimate name] Tragia glabrata (Müll.Arg.) Pax & K.Hoffm. [Illegitimate name] Tragia glabrata var. hispida Radcl.-Sm. Tragia meyeriana var. glabrata Müll.Arg.
Ecological significance This species is one of the larval foodplants of four species of butterfly; Eurytela hiarbas, Eurytela dryope, Byblia ilithyia and Byblia anvatara.Williams, M. (1994). Butterflies of Southern Africa; A Field Guide. Southern Book Publishers. .
Gallery
References