Clidemia hirta is quite easily to recognise. Young plants, with their stiff hairs and crinkled leaves, may vaguely resemble a stinging nettle (Urtica spp. and in Kenya this is Urtica massaica Mildbr.), but mature plants can be distinguished by their shrubby habit and white flowers.
C. hirta can be distinguished by the reddish tinge in the young branches which characteristic is not found in U. massaica.
Clidemia hirta is regarded as an environmental weed in many parts of the world. It has been nominated as among 100 of the "World's Worst" invaders by the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group and it has been listed as a noxious weed in Queensland and the Northern Territories (Australia) and Hawaii.
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