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70. Nettle Tree 

 Urera baccifera 



There are several varieties of the nettle tree or plant, some 

 stinging more severely than others. CAUTION: If the leaves 

 or branches strike the body, intense pain is produced with irrita- 

 tion that may last 24 hours or more. There is no permanent 

 injury nor is there need for treatment. The most dangerous 

 nettles of the region are the bushy tree-like ones, but contact 

 with some of the low, soft-stemmed nettles often causes intense 

 pain for a short time. It is commonly found growing at low and 

 middle altitudes, where it is often planted for hedges. It is 

 called ortiga in most Spanish-speaking regions; jamo or chichi- 

 cate in Cuba; and in northern Central America it is known as 

 chichicaste. 



