Uncaria tomentosa Seeds | Cat’s Claw
LATIN NAME: Uncaria tomentosa
COMMON NAME: Cat’s Claw
Plant Profile
Among the ornamental and useful plants raised from seed, Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) stands out as a vine in the madder family. The cat’s claw is hooked vine of warm forest, and small, tubular flowers open in round heads. It is a vine of open, sunny to partly shaded, deep, moist, well-drained ground. Pollinating insects take to the flowers at once, adding a little wildlife interest to its garden value. Together these qualities explain its long-standing appeal to gardeners.
Science & Biotechnology
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Uncaria tomentosa, a representative of the madder family with clear practical value. From a research perspective, species of this kind are valuable material for work on propagation and on the selection of uniform lines.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Cat’s Claw for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. The cat’s claw is a fine, curious vine of study garden and warm collection. It has been written up in botanical and herbal papers for hooked stems and long record of use, and it is a fine, curious vine of open, sunny to partly shaded, deep, moist, well-drained garden. Give vine a warm, sheltered spot and steady moisture through growing season. Given the right start, it carries on with minimal intervention.
Cat’s claw vines are two famous medicines: Chinese Gou Teng calms tremors and pressure in classical formulas, while Amazonian Una de Gato is a global immune supplement; their oxindole alkaloids are the research focus.
Growing from Seed
Cat’s Claw grows readily from seed. Fill a pot with a light seed compost, sow evenly on the surface, cover thinly and stand it somewhere warm, bright and evenly moist. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
The traditional uses covered above are what first made this species worth cultivating. Cat’s Claw is the kind of plant that rewards a permanent spot. Moisture matters most while plants are young; established plants cope with far more.
Related Reading
If Cat’s Claw appeals to you, these related plants are worth a look: