Urena lobata

-
Urena lobata or Ceasarweed is one of the common shrubs growing in disturbed areas and it can reach more than 1.5m tall. The flower is attractive - pink with five petals and borne on the leaf axil. It looks like tiny hibiscus flower, and indeed it belongs to the same family as the Hibiscus, Malvaceae. The fruit is spiky and easily adheres to human trousers or presumably animal fur as well.  The leaves are palmately lobed and hairy.

Urena lobata growing along rural road, Ceasarweed, Congo Jute, invasive species, alien species, nonnative species
Urena lobata growing along rural roadside

Urena lobata is also referred as the Congo Jute, because its fiber is similar in quality to that of the Jute. For this reason it is planted in Congo and some countries in South America and Asia where the fiber is made into rope and paper. Apart from being a source of fiber, the Congo Jute/Ceasar weed has many uses in traditional medicine. The leaf is known to be used as pain killers and to treat dirrhoea. The bark is beneficial to treat skin injuries and the plant is also used to treat swellings.

Hibiscus-like flower of Urena lobata, Congo JUte, Ceasarweed, pink flower, Malvaceae
The Hibiscus-like flower of Urena lobata

In some countries, including the United States, Urena lobata is regarded as an alien, non-native invasive species. In Southeast Asia, It is often found invading disturbed land and population grows along rivers and rural roads but it does not seem to prefer shade.

Labels

plants insects birds flower reptiles video birding rainforest medicinal plants rainforest animals
tropical fruit invasive species fruit hemiptera lizard Agamids animal camouflage mammals spider adaptation antenna arachnid butterfly camouflage insect camouflage insect mouthparts insect parts migrant birds nest poisonous plant predator reptile pictures snakes traditional medicine Cattle Egret Melastomataceae ants bird behaviour bird nest biting mouthparts cicada cuckoo damselfly doves draco lizard egret flying dragon ginger gliding lizards grasshopper heron insect adaptation invasive trees mangrove forest moth otter proboscis rainforest plants shrike simple eyes sucking mouthparts vivipary waterbird African Tulip Tree Ardea purpurea Asian fruits Asplenium Baya Weaver Beehive Ginger Bird's Nest Fern Black Bat Flower Black-naped Oriole Blattodea Bougainvillea Brown Shrike Butorides striatus Calotes versicolor Carica papaya Cat's Eye Fruit Cat's Whiskers Catclaw Mimosa Ceasarweed Centropus sinensis Cinnamon Bittern Clidemia hirta Colubridae Common Myna Congo Jute Coral swirl Dicranopteris linearis Dilleneaceae Dillenia Diptera Dollarbird Durians Durio zibethinus Dusky Langur Dusky Leaf Monkey Egretta garzetta Eurylaimidae Ficus Formicidae Garcinia mangostana Giant False Sensitive Mimosa Green Crested Lizard Ground Orchids Halcyon smyrnensis Hesperiidae Indian Rhododendron Indian mulberry Javan Myna Koster's Curse Lanius Lantana camara Lepidoptera Little Egret Little Heron Macaranga tree Madagascar periwinkle Melastoma malabathricum Mimosa diplotricha Mimosa invisa Mimosa pigra Mimosa pudica Morinda citrifolia Nephelium lappaceum Odonates Oecophylla Orchidae Oriental Roller Plantain Squirrel Plumed Egret Pterophoridae Rafflesia Rambutan Rambutan tree Rosy periwinkle Rubiaceae Sensitive Plant Shrubby Simpoh Spathodea campanulata Spathoglottis plicata Stachytarpheta Striped Bronzeback Tacca chantrieri Urena lobata Varanus Water Hyacinth White-breasted Kingfisher White-breasted Waterhen White-throated Kingfisher Zingiber amphibians aphids aquatic plant asssassin bug banana flower banana musa barbet barn swallow bee bee flowers behaviour bird call bird foraging bird pollinated flowers bittern broadbills bufonidae bug bulbul bulbul pictures butcher bird castor bean castor oil caterpillar cauliflorous cauliflory chemoreception clavate antenna cockroach colubrid compound eyes costus speciosus crab spider crane fly cricket crow pheasant crypsis detrivore dove call dove song dragonfly ecdysis egret or heron epiphyte essential oil etlingera exoskeleton of an insect falconet fern fern plant ferns fiddler crab figs firefly fishtail palm fly frog fungi gardening gastropod gerridae ginger flower greater coucal harvestmen horticulture huntsman spider hydrophyte hymenoptera image of birds incomplete metamorphosis insect growth insect life cycle insect nymph insect vision introduced species jackfruit jacobson's organ jumping spider katydid kingfisher ladybug lampyridae langur larvae leafbird leafhopper leguminosae lilac long-tailed shrike longan lynx spider macaque malkoha malvaceae mango mango cultivars mangosteen mangrove ecosystem mangrove trees mangroves meliponines millipede mimicry molting molting lizard monitor lizard moulting process mudskipper mushroom mutualism nectar nephila non-venomous snake noni nonnative alien species nonnative species nonvenomous snakes nursery web spider ocelli ommatidia orb weaver orb weaving spider orchid oriole orthoptera ovipositor painted bronzeback palms papaya papaya fruit parasitic plant parasitoid passiflora passion flower passion vine pawpaw pectinate antenna pest pest birds pet birds pigeons pioneer species plant fiber plume pollination pollinators porterweed praying mantis preening primate puddling pycnonotus rails rainforest lizard ranidae raptor red-tailed rat snake reduviidae resin robber fly root shrubs skinks skipper snail snakeweed spider web spores squirrel suboscines succession sunning symbiotic relationship tiger shrike toad tortoise beetle tree snake treehopper tropical rainforest urban birds venomous snake vipers wasp water strider weaver ants weaver bird white white egrets wings zingiberaceae zygodactyl feet
Show more