''Girardinia diversifolia'', commonly known as the Himalayan nettle or Nilghiri nettle, is a plant species native to

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

and in the Himalayan parts of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

such as

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

and Jammu and Kashmir and in vast parts of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It grows naturally at elevations between . It is a shade tolerant, tall, stout and erect herb growing up to 3m height with perennial rootstock. The plant grows as a clump, and each clump has many stems. The stem contains

bast fiber Bast fibre (also called phloem fibre or skin fibre) is plant fibre collected from the phloem (the "inner bark", sometimes called "skin") or bast surrounding the stem of certain dicotyledonous plants. It supports the conductive cells of the phlo ...

of unique quality which is strong, smooth and light.Assessment of Allo Production and Enterprise Potential in Parbat District
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Description

It is a 1.5 to 3 metres tall perennial herbaceous shrub that grows without cultivation all over Nepal. It most frequently occurs in the hilly and mountainous regions at altitudes up to 3000 m.

Vernacular names

The plant is locally known as: * '' Sisaun'' in

Kumauni language Kumaoni (; ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by over two million people of the Kumaon region of the state of Uttarakhand in northern India and parts of Doti region in Western Nepal. As per 1961 survey there were 1,030,254 Kumaoni speakers in I ...

* ''Kandaali'' in

Garhwali language Garhwali (, , in native pronunciation) is an Indo-Aryan language of the Central Pahari subgroup. It is primarily spoken by over 2.5 million Garhwali people in the Garhwal region of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalay ...

* 'Nepalese allo * "Kungs" in

Kullu district Kullu is a List of districts in India, district in Himachal Pradesh, India. It borders Rampur, Himachal Pradesh, Rampur district to the south, Mandi district, Mandi and Kangra district, Kangra districts to the west, and the Lahaul and Spiti dis ...

* "Thurche" in Badugu language in the Nilgiris district *

Uses

Traditional users of Allo are ethnic groups from across Nepal, including the Kulung,

Gurung Gurung (exonym; ) or Tamu (endonym; Gurung: ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the hills and mountains of Gandaki Province of Nepal. Gurung people predominantly live around the Annapurna region in Manang, Mustang, Dolpo, Kaski, Lamjung, Gorkha, ...

, Magar,

Rai RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

and

Tamang The Tamang (; Devanagari: तामाङ; ''tāmāṅ'') are an Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group of Nepal. In Nepal Tamang/Moormi people constitute 5.6% of the Nepalese population at over 1.3 million in 2001, increasing to 1,539,830 as of the 2011 c ...

people. Allo products are culturally important to both the

and the

. It is also sold for commercial and non-religious purposes. Non-fibre uses of the plant range from fodder and fuel wood, to use as a live fence and in traditional medicines. Allo fibre is very flexible and has high tenacity, allowing it to be used in a multitude of applications ranging from clothing and bags to floor mats and rope. Fibres made from allo are fully biodegradable.

Gallery

Girardinia diversifolia (8071156699).jpg Girardinia diversifolia 10.JPG Girardinia diversifolia 2.jpg Girardinia diversifolia (9967938745).jpg, Inflorescence Girardinia diversifolia 02.JPG, Fruits Girardinia diversifolia (1658321496).jpg Girardinia diversifolia seedling II, by Omar Hoftun.jpg, Seedling Girardinia diversifolia seeds, by Omar Hoftun.jpg, Seeds

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q130231 Flora of Nepal Urticaceae