About Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew
Laportea aestuans, also known by the synonym Urtica aestuans and common name West Indian woodnettle, is an annual herb belonging to the nettle family Urticaceae. It is possibly native to tropical Africa, but is now widely naturalized as an introduced species across tropics and subtropics of both the western and eastern hemisphere. Introduced locations it occurs in include California, Florida, and Puerto Rico in the USA, Central America, the West Indies, India, Sumatra, and Java. This species acts as a food plant for the edible snail Archachatina ventricosa, which is native to parts of coastal West Africa. It grows as a weedy species in Taiwan. In Nigeria, it is considered a possible host reservoir for African cassava mosaic virus, an important plant pathogen that affects cassava (Manihot esculenta), a major African food crop.
