Debregeasia saeneb (Forssk.) Hepper & Wood

Common in moist places in the Northern Himalayas and Salt range, up to 2000 m. A strong fibre used to make ropes, is obtained from the bark.

Shrubs or small trees 2-5 m tall, often dioecious. Branches dark purplish, young branchlets and petioles sparsely spreading hirtellous and mixed snow white tomentose. Stipules oblong-lanceolate, 6-10 mm, 2-cleft at apex, tomentose along veins abaxially; petiole 0.5-3 cm; leaf blade adaxially green, oblong to linear-lanceolate, sometimes linear, 5-15 × 1.5-4 cm, thinly papery or papery, 3-veined, lateral ones straight, reaching to middle, secondary veins 4-6 on each side from middle of leaf, anastomosing at margin, abaxial surface thickly snow-white tomentose, fine veins invisible, sometimes sparsely appressed pubescent on main and secondary veins, adaxial surface sparsely appressed strigose, sometimes rugose, base rounded, margin finely serrulate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences borne always on previous years’ branches, often flowering before leaf flush, 1-2-dichotomously branched or solitary, 0.5-1 cm; peduncle 0-0.5 cm, appressed pubescent; glomerules globose, 4-6 mm in diam.; bracts obovate, ca. 2.5 mm, membranous. Male flowers shortly pedicellate, flattened in bud, 1.2-1.5 mm in diam.; perianth lobes (3 or)4, triangular-ovate, densely white tomentose abaxially, connate at base, apex acute; rudimentary ovary sessile, obovoid, ca. 0.5 mm. Female flowers sessile, obovoid, ca. 0.7 mm; perianth tube membranous, glabrous, 4-denticulate at apex. Achene orange, ca. 1 mm, stipitate at base, enclosed by fleshy perianth and adnate to it. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. May-Jul.

A dioecious, evergreen tall shrub or small tree. Stem with dark brown fibrous bark scabrous, young shoots whitish tomentose. Leaves with up to 2.5 cm long, densely tomentose petiole; lamina oblong - lanceolate 2-15 cm long, 0.6-3 cm broad, silvery tomentose beneath, scabrous and rugose above, serrate, acute; stipules linear-lanceolate up to c. 1 cm long, brown, deciduous. Male flower clusters larger than female flower heads. Calyx of male flowers campanulate, streaked orange-red and white, tomentose outside, 4-lobed, shorter than brown bracteoles; tubular-ovoid with narrowed mouth in female flowers. Stamens 3-5, exserted, anthers pale purple. Achenes fleshy, yellow, c. 1.5 mm long, pointed.

SW Xinjiang, S Xizang [Afghanistan, Kashmir, Nepal; Iran, Yemen, Ethiopia].

Abyssinia, Iran, Afghanistan, Himalaya (Kashmir to Nepal).

Distribution: India, Pakistan (Punjab, N.W.F.Province, Kashmir) Afghanistan and Tropical Africa.

1500-2400 m

Fl.Per.: March-June.

Shady, moist places by streams, forests in mountain valleys; 1700-2300 m.

Rhus saeneb Forsskål, Fl. Aegypt.-Arab. 206. 1775; Boehmeria salicifolia D. Don; Debregeasia bicolor (Roxb.) Weddell; D. salicifolia (D. Don) Rendle; Urtica bicolor Roxburgh.

Debregieasia saenab, also known as ajilai, is a shrub that can reach a height of 1.5-2.4m. It has dark reddish branchlets and dark green leaves at mature form; the upper side of leaves are green and lower side are white-grey colour. It is an evergreen plant with edible fruit that can be used as a flavouring agent. Its stems are used for fibre and fuel wood. It is found in Pakistan, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. The powder form of leaves mixed with mustard oil is used for antifungal activity to curing skin rashes, dermatitis (inflammation of the skin) and eczema. The leaves of the plant are boiled in tea and used to alleviate abdominal pain.

Debregeasia saeneb là loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Tầm ma. Loài này được (Forssk.) Hepper & J.R.I.Wood mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1983.

柳叶水麻（学名：Debregeasia saeneb）是荨麻科水麻属的植物。分布于非洲、克什米尔地区、伊朗、阿富汗、尼泊尔以及中国大陆的西藏、新疆等地，生长于海拔1,700米至2,300米的地区，常生长在山谷常绿阔叶林林缘湿润处，目前尚未由人工引种栽培。