Cat's claw

Climbing plant that grows up trees, similar to lianas, belongs to the Rubiaceae family and is native to the Amazon rainforest in Bolivia, Brazil, Peru and Colombia. It can grow up to 40 m high and 25 cm thick. It clings to the host trees with cat's claw-like thorns and holding organs. Yellowish flowers.

The root of the climbing plant is used phytotherapeutically: Uncariae tomentosae radix

Uncaria tomentosa grows preferentially on moist, shady soil in natural rainforest. When cultivated, the plants remain small and bushy.

The roots of Uncaria tomentosa grow a few centimetres below the surface. Above ground, the plant forms short shoots with oval-shaped pairs of leaves on its main shoots, which reach into the canopy of its carrier trees. In the leaf axils there are sickle-shaped, curved retaining organs that resemble the shape of a cat's claw. In the flowering period, the thorns are replaced by risky inflorescences with yellow colouring.

Uncaria tomentosa is the parent plant of Uncariae tomentosae radix