Dendrocnide
Dendrocnide is a genus of approximately 40 species of plants in the nettle family Urticaceae. They have a wide distribution across North East India, Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. In Australia they are commonly known as stinging trees.
Description
Plants in this genus are evergreen shrubs or small trees, with the exception of the aptly-named giant stinging tree which may reach in height. Dendrocnide species have a sympodial growth habit and are armed with fine needle-like stinging hairs. They are generally fast-growing and produce soft wood, and are usually found in areas of disturbed forest where they fill the role of a pioneer species.
The leaves are simple, alternate, and petiolate,, and the leaf blade may be either entire or have some form of dentate toothing. The leaves are also often large, and may be either leathery or papery. The stipules are fused and deciduous, leaving conspicuous scars on the twigs after falling.
The inflorescences are axillary and pedunculate, flowers are either solitary or in racemes or panicles. Male flowers may be 4- or 5-merous and the female flowers are 4-merous. Most species are dioecious, a small number are monoecious.
Fruits are an achene, often compressed, and may be eclosed within the swollen pedicel.
Taxonomy
The genus Dendrocnide was raised in 1851 by the Dutch physician, botanist, and taxonomist Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel who dedicated a large part of his life to describing specimens of the flora of the Dutch East Indies which were sent to him by his many contacts. This genus was first published in the work Plantae Junghuhnianae, in which he described three species, namely D. peltata, D. costata and D. coerulea.
Etymology
The name of this genus comes from Ancient Greek déndron, and knī́dē, referring to the large size of most species in this genus.
The following is a list of all 41 species recognised by Plants of the World Online as of 2025, with a brief summary of their distribution.Dendrocnide amplissima Chew - Maluku Islands, SulawesiDendrocnide basirotunda Chew - China south-central, Myanmar, ThailandDendrocnide carriana Chew - Lesser Sunda Islands, Maluku Islands, New Guinea, PhilippinesDendrocnide celebica Chew - SulawesiDendrocnide contracta Chew - JavaDendrocnide corallodesme Chew - New Guinea, QueenslandDendrocnide cordata Chew - Lesser Sunda Islands, New Guinea, Bismarck ArchipelagoDendrocnide cordifolia Jackes - QueenslandDendrocnide crassifolia Chew - Philippines, SulawesiDendrocnide densiflora Chew - PhilippinesDendrocnide elliptica Chew - Borneo, PhilippinesDendrocnide excelsa Chew - New South Wales, QueenslandDendrocnide gigantea Chew - MelanesiaDendrocnide harveyi Chew - Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Samoa, TongaDendrocnide kajewskii Chew - Solomon IslandsDendrocnide kjellbergii Chew - SulawesiDendrocnide kotoensis B.L.Shih & Yuen P.Yang - TaiwanDendrocnide latifolia Chew - Caroline Islands, Marianas, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, VanuatuDendrocnide longifolia Chew - Bismarck Archipelago, Maluku Islands, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, SulawesiDendrocnide luzonensis Chew - PhilippinesDendrocnide meyeniana Chew - Philippines, TaiwanDendrocnide microstigma Chew - Java, Lesser Sunda Islands, Maluku Islands, SulawesiDendrocnide mirabilis Chew - New Guinea, Solomon IslandsDendrocnide morobensis Chew - New GuineaDendrocnide moroides Chew - Lesser Sunda Islands, New South Wales, Queensland, VanuatuDendrocnide nervosa Chew - New Guinea, Solomon IslandsDendrocnide oblanceolata Chew - Borneo, SulawesiDendrocnide peltata Miq. - Christmas Island, Java, Lesser Sunda Islands, New GuineaDendrocnide photiniphylla Chew - New South Wales, QueenslandDendrocnide pruritivus H.St.John - Fiji, Wallis and FutunaDendrocnide rechingeri Chew - Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Solomon IslandsDendrocnide rigidifolia Chew - PhilippinesDendrocnide schlechteri Chew - Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Solomon IslandsDendrocnide sessiliflora Chew - Bismarck Archipelago, New GuineaDendrocnide sinuata Chew - Nepal to southern China and western Malesia including Christmas IslandDendrocnide stimulans Chew - China, Hainan, Taiwan, Indo-China, western and central MalesiaDendrocnide subclausa Chew - PhilippinesDendrocnide ternatensis Chew - Lesser Sunda Islands, Maluku Islands, New GuineaDendrocnide torricellensis Chew - New GuineaDendrocnide urentissima Chew - Cambodia, south-central and south-east China, VietnamDendrocnide venosa Chew - Philippines
Other taxa
In addition to the above, the name Dendrocnide vitiensis is recognised by World Flora Online, World Plants, and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, while POWO considers it to be a synonym of D. harveyi. GBIF also accepts Dendrocnide moroidea, which is not listed at all by POWO, WFO or WP. GBIF sources its data for this taxon from The Plant List, which is no longer maintained and is superseded by WFO.