Boehmeria cylindrica (False nettle)

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Boehmeria cylindrica (L.) Sw.

False nettle, bog hemp, smallspike false nettle

False nettle is a native North American species. The name comes from is resemblance to stinging nettle, although it is not related, and lacks the stinging hairs of its namesake.

Plants: 4–63″ (10–160 cm) high, and favor shady wooded areas. Stems are smooth, without the irritating hairs of stinging nettle.

Leaves: Usually opposite or nearly so. They are roughly egg-shaped, with sharp tips and teeth. (More precisely, they are elliptic, lanceolate to broadly ovate.) The leaves are 1¾–7 ⨉ ¾–4″ (5–18 ⨉ 2–10 cm).

Flowers: The unusual flowers are the most unique feature of this species. They occur on straight spikes that emerge from the stem, in clusters of small, inconspicuous green flowers. Each spike is often tipped by a couple of small leaves. Flowers appear from July to August. The flowers are dioecious—each plant contains only male or female flowers.

Fruits: Spiky little balls.

Habitats: Moist, deciduous woods; wet meadows; swamps, bogs, and mashes.

See this article by Steve Brill on distinguishing among nettles and related plants.

Similar species.

Online References:

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

The USDA Plants Database

Plants for a Future

Flora of North America

References:

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 244

Boehmeria austrina Small
Boehmeria cylindrica (L.) Sw. var. drummondiana (Weddell) Weddell
Boehmeria cylindrica (L.) Sw. var. scabra Porter
Boehmeria decurrens Small
Boehmeria drummondiana Weddell
Boehmeria scabra (Porter) Small
Urtica cylindrica L.

7/11/2026 · Spear Farm Estuary Preserve, Yarmouth, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm)

9/16/2020 · Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

9/16/2020 · Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm)

7/11/2026 · Spear Farm Estuary Preserve, Yarmouth, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm)

8/31/2013 · Riverside Park, James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 22 cm)

8/27/2016 · Williams Barn and Sørhaug Woods, Groton, Massachusetts

8/31/2013 · Riverside Park, James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 8 × 6″ (19 × 15 cm)

7/20/2012 · J. Harry Rich Dirt Road, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm)

8/26/2018 · Henry E. Cowdrey Nature Center, Lunenburg, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm)

7/20/2012 · J. Harry Rich Dirt Road, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm)

8/27/2016 · Williams Barn and Sørhaug Woods, Groton, Massachusetts

8/31/2013 · Riverside Park, James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 28 cm)

9/3/2021 · Topsham Recreational Path along the Androscoggin River, Topsham, Maine

7/20/2012 · J. Harry Rich Dirt Road, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (14 × 22 cm)

9/16/2020 · Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

7/11/2026 · Spear Farm Estuary Preserve, Yarmouth, Maine · ≈ 7 × 10″ (17 × 25 cm)

7/20/2012 · J. Harry Rich Dirt Road, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 12 × 9″ (29 × 23 cm)

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Urticales	Includes cannabis, nettles, mulberries, elms, others
Family	Urticaceae	Nettle family
Genus	Boehmeria	After Georg(e) Rudolf Boehmer (1723-1803) of Saxony, professor of botany and anatomy at the University of Wittenberg
Species	cylindrica	Cylindrical

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Range:

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Boehmeria cylindrica description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.