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Girardinia diversifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Urticaceae
Genus:	Girardinia
Species:	G. diversifolia
Binomial name
	Girardinia diversifolia; (Link) Friis
Synonyms
	Girardinia adoensis (Steud.) Wedd.; Girardinia armata Kunth nom. illeg.; Girardinia chingianae S.S.Chien; Girardinia condensata (Hochst. ex Steud.) Wedd.; Girardinia erosa Decne.; Girardinia formosana Hayata ex Yamam.; Girardinia furialis Blume; Girardinia heterophylla (Vahl) Decne.; Girardinia hibiscifolia Miq.; Girardinia javanica Wedd.; Girardinia leschenaultiana Decne.; Girardinia longispica Hand.-Mazz.; Girardinia palmata Blume nom. illeg.; Girardinia vahlii Blume nom. illeg.; Girardinia vitifolia Franch. nom. illeg.; Girardinia vitifolia Wedd.; Girardinia zeylanica Decne.; Urtica adoensis Hochst.; Urtica adoensis Hochst. ex Steud.; Urtica buraei H. Lév.; Urtica condensata Hochst. ex Steud.; Urtica diversifolia Link; Urtica heterophylla Vahl; Urtica lobatifolia S.S. Ying; Urtica palmata Forssk.;

Girardinia diversifolia, commonly known as the Himalayan nettle^[2] or Nilghiri nettle,^[3] is a plant species native to Nepal and in the Himalayan parts of India such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and in vast parts of China.^[4] It grows naturally at elevations between 1,200 to 3,000 metres (3,900 to 9,800 feet). 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 of unique quality which is strong, smooth and light.^[5]

Description

It is a 1.5 to 3 metres tall^[6] perennial herbaceous shrub that grows without cultivation all over Nepal.^[7] It most frequently occurs in the hilly and mountainous regions at altitudes up to 3000 m.^[8]

Uses

Traditional users of Allo are ethnic groups from across Nepal, including the Kulung, Gurung, Magar, Rai and Tamang people.^[9] Allo products are culturally important to both the Gurung^[9] and the Rai.^[8] It is also sold for commercial and non-religious purposes.^[7] Non-fibre uses of the plant range from fodder and fuel wood,^[8] to use as a live fence and in traditional medicines.^[9] Allo fibre is very flexible and has high tenacity,^[10] allowing it to be used in a multitude of applications ranging from clothing and bags to floor mats and rope.^[9]^[11]^[12] Fibres made from allo are fully biodegradable.^[10]

Gallery

Inflorescence
Fruits
Seedling
Seeds

References

^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 14 December 2014.
^ "Girardinia diversifolia". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
^ url=
^ Assessment of Allo Production and Enterprise Potential in Parbat District
^ Singh, S.C.; Shrestha, R (1988). "Girardinia diversifolia (Urticaceae), a non-conventional fiber resource in nepal". Economic Botany. 42 (3): 445–447. doi:10.1007/BF02860167. JSTOR 4255095.
^ ^a ^b Dunsmore, J (1998). "Microenterprise development: Traditional skills and the reduction of poverty in highland nepal". Himalaya, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies. 18 (2): 22–27.
^ ^a ^b ^c Barakoti, T; Shrestha, K (2008). "Commercial utilization of allo (Girardinia diversifolia) by the rais of sankhuwasabha for income generation". Banko Janakari. 18 (1): 18–24. doi:10.3126/banko.v18i1.2162.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gurung, A; Flanigan, H; Kumar Ghimeray, A; Karki, R; Bista, R; Gurung, O.P. (2012). "Traditional knowledge of processing and use of the himalayan giant nettle (Girardinia diversifolia (Link) Friis) among the Gurungs of Sikles, Nepal". Ethnobotany Research and Applications. 10: 167–174. doi:10.17348/era.10.0.167-174. hdl:10125/23553.
^ ^a ^b Bajpai, P.K.; Meena, D; Vatsa, S; Singh, I (2013). "Tensile behavior of nettle fiber composites exposed to various environments". Journal of Natural Fibers. 10 (3): 244–256. doi:10.1080/15440478.2013.791912.
^ Shrestha, R (1999). "Improvements on the traditional harvesting practice of girardinia diversifolia". Tropical Agriculture Research and Extension. 2 (1): 74–75.
^ Dunsmore, J (1998). "Crafts, cash and conservation in highland nepal". Community Development Journal. 33 (1): 49–56. doi:10.1093/cdj/33.1.49.