Boehmeria cylindrica (L.) Sw.
False nettle, bog hemp, smallspike false nettle
Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae |
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 |
About plant names...
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" (5-18 cm) × ¾-4" (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.
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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) 
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Plant |
24-48" (60-121 cm) high. Stems have stiff white hairs that sting if you rub against them. |
4-63" (10-160 cm) high, and favor shady wooded areas. Stems are smooth, without the irritating hairs of stinging nettle. |
6-24" (15-60 cm) tall, with a stem that is hairless or covered with fine white hairs. Bracts beneath flowers, stems, and leaf undersides turn copper-colored. |
Flowers |
Male flower clusters are white or greenish white, in loose branching clusters. Each flower is less than ⅛" (3.2 mm) across, with 5 petals. They appear from July to September. |
Flowers 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. |
Flowers are greenish-tan, and tiny—less than ⅛" (3.2 mm) across. They flower from July to October. |
Leaves |
Alternate, up to 4" (10 cm) × 6" (15 cm), egg-shaped, with coarse serrations. |
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" (5-18 cm) × ¾-4" (2-10 cm). |
Leaves are alternate, lance-like or oval with sharp tips, 3½" (8.9 cm) × 1" (2.5 cm), with blunt serrations. |
Habitats |
Moist woods, streambanks, in rich soils |
Moist, deciduous woods; wet meadows; swamps, bogs, and mashes |
Open woods, moist soils, gravel bars, waste ground, roadsides, railroads. |