Dendrocnide meyeniana

Description

Dendrocnide meyeniana is a species of tree in the Urticaceae family, native to the thickets and secondary forests of Taiwan and the Philippines. It is commonly referred to as the lipa tree, but more specifically lipang kalabaw or, more rarely, apariagua. In Iloilo province it's called Bulan-bulan. The city of Lipa, Batangas in the Philippines is named after the lipa tree. Locals distinguish it primarily by the short irritant hairs on its twigs. It is referred to as the lipa tree ("puno ng lipa" in Tagalog) or lipang kalabaw("carabao lipa") to distinguish it from Fleurya interrupta, a shrub locally named lipang aso ("dog lipa"). The distinction between lipang kalabaw and lipang aso is descriptive, referring to the height of the latter.