Jamaican Nettletree

Jamaican nettletree (Trema micrantha) is an evergreen shrub or tree which is from the Cannabaceae plant family. It grows in South America, Mexico, and parts of the Southeastern United States (Florida). The tree reaches heights of between 2-20 meters and most often found at the edges of clearings.

There have been several documented cases of poisonings in goats and horses, related to ingestion of the leaves from the tree, which are highly palatable to animals. The toxins in the plant that cause poisoning are unknown, but results in acute liver damage often accompanied with neurologic signs of hepatic encephalopathy.