''Alchornea hirtella'' is a shrub or small tree in the genus

Alchornea ''Alchornea'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1788. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, South Asia, Australia, Latin America, and various oceanic islands. Molecular phylogene ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...

. It is native to tropical Central and Southern Africa.

Description

''Alchornea hirtella'' is a straggly climber, a spindly shrub or a small tree that can grow to a height of about .

Distribution and habitat

''Alchornea hirtella'' is native to Central and Southern Africa. Its range extends from Senegal, Uganda and Kenya, southwards to Angola, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa. It grows, sometimes in profusion, as an understorey shrub in tropical rain forest and in secondary forest, in riverine corridors and in the splash zone around waterfalls. It can grow at altitudes of up to .

Uses

Stakes made of ''Alchornea hirtella'' wood easily root and are used for bean poles. Branches are split for use in basketry and the wood is sometimes used in construction and as firewood. Extracts from the leaves of ''A. hirtella'' possess antimicrobial properties and have been found to inhibit growth of ''

Proteus vulgaris ''Proteus vulgaris'' is a rod-shaped, nitrate-reducing, indole-positive and catalase-positive, hydrogen sulfide-producing, Gram-negative bacterium that inhabits the intestinal tracts of humans and animals. It can be found in soil, water, and feca ...

'', a pathogenic bacterium. The plant also has traditional herbal uses; various parts are used to treat toothache, diarrhoea, stomach ache, worms, headache, pain and the after effects of intoxication. This plant is preferentially used by

chimpanzee The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...

s in making tools for catching

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...

s. The animals hunt through the forest for the shrub and make short poles out of it. Thicker poles are used to dig into and disturb an ant nest and thinner, flexible poles are inserted for the angry ants to climb onto. The chimpanzees then run their hands along the poles, scooping off the ants and thrusting handfuls into their mouths.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15386184 Alchorneae