Common Name:

small-spike false-nettle, bog hemp

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Boehmeria cylindrica

Family:

Urticaceae

Form:

flower

Size:

2.5-4 ft tall by 1-3 ft wide

Life Span:

short-lived perennial

Flower Color:

green

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

winter dormant

Noted For:

Recommended Uses:

Ground cover in moist sites in casual settings. Very attractive when young, but becomes somewhat weedy and tall as it matures. Probably better suited for restoration than landscaping.

Considerations:

Can become overly abundant. Plant with caution.

Availability:

Propagation:

Seed and root cuttings. Seeds are available through the Florida Wildflowers Growers Cooperative.

Light:

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Aquatic ---to--- Usually moist, occasional inundation

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Clay, Loam, Organic (muck)

Soil pH:

acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B, 11

Wildlife:

Native Habitats:

Cypress swamps, floodplain forests, wet thickets, stream banks, marshes, wet forests, marshy shores, ditches.

Natural Range in Florida:

Visit the USF Libraries Atlas of Florida Plants

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

This species is in the Nettle Family and looks much like stinging nettle. However, it does not have stinging hairs.