Boehmeria nivea

Boehmeria nivea, commonly known as ramie, Chinese grass or Chinese silk plant, is a monoecious shrub or subshrub in the family Urticaceae commonly found in China. It is native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the eastern Himalaya, and east and southeastern Asia. It grows to 2 metres tall, with alternately-arranged leaves 7–15 cm long and 6–12 cm broad, oval-acuminate with a serrated margin. Boehmeria nivea has been cultivated in China and elsewhere in southeast Asia for thousands of years, as the source of the fibre crop ramie. It has been introduced into tropical and subtropical parts of other continents, such the southeastern United States.

Description

An erect shrub which grows from year to year. It is 1-3 m tall. The underground roots are thick storage roots. The leaves occur one after another along opposite sides of the stem. The leaves have long leaf stalks and are oval but broad. They have teeth along the edge. They are 7.5-15 cm long by 5-10 cm wide. The leaves are white underneath. The more tropical form does not have hairs under the leaf. The flowers are small. They occur in the axils of leaves. The flowers have separate sexes. The male flowers are lower down and the female flowers higher up. The fruit is a small dry one seeded fruit. It is brownish-yellow and about 1 mm long. Flowers are wind pollinated.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves Root Edible Uses: Edible portion: Root, Leaves, Seeds – oil. Root - peeled and boiled. A pleasant, sweet taste. We can detect very little flavour, but the root has a very strange mucilaginous texture that does not appeal to most people who have tried it. Once in the mouth, it takes a lot of chewing before it is ready to be swallowed. The leaves are used for making cakes. This report could refer to the plants use as a poultice. They are also used as a dye to make black rice cake.

Traditional Uses

The roots are eaten after boiling and peeling. Oil extracted from the seeds is used for cooking. The leaves are cooked and eaten. They are also used as a dye to make black rice cake.

Medicinal Uses

Antiphlogistic Astringent Demulcent Diuretic Febrifuge Haemostatic Poultice Resolvent Vulnerary Women's complaints Antiphlogistic, demulcent, diuretic, febrifuge, haemostatic and vulnerary. Used to prevent miscarriages and promote the drainage of pus. The leaves are astringent and resolvent. They are used in the treatment of fluxes and wounds. The root contains the flavonoid rutin. It is antiabortifacient, antibacterial, cooling, demulcent, diuretic, resolvent and uterosedative. It is used in the treatment of threatened abortions, colic of pregnancy, haemorrhoids, leucorrhoea, impetigo etc. The fresh root is pounded into a mush and used as a poultice.

Known Hazards

Although members of the nettle family, plants in this genus do not have stinging hairs.

Distribution

A tropical and subtropical plant. The plant grows best in warm moist climates. It needs rich well drained soil. It can grow in part shade. It grows on the edges of forests between 200-1,700 m above sea level. Melbourne Botanical gardens. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Cambodia, Central Asia, China*, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Fiji, Grenada, Guam, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Norfolk Island, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Sikkim, Slovenia, South America, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, USA, Vietnam, West Indies,

Cultivation

It can be grown from seed. It is more commonly grown from cuttings of the rhizome. Sections 15-25 cm long are planted at a depth of 5-8 cm. Suckers and stem cuttings can also be used.

Propagation

Seed - sow in pots and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out when at least 20cm tall. Division. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whilst smaller clumps are best planted in a nursery until they are growing away well. Layering. Basal cuttings. Harvest new shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade until they are rooting well.

Other Uses

Fibre Fodder Paper Agroforestry Uses: Planted to prevent erosion in gullies. Other Uses A fibre is obtained from the inner bark of the stem - of excellent quality, it is highly water-resistant and has a greater tensile strength than cotton. It is used for textiles, linen etc and is said to be moth-proof. It is best harvested as the female flowers open. The outer bark is removed and then the fibrous inner bark is taken off and boiled before being woven into thread. The fibres are the longest known in the plant realm. The tensile strength is 7 times that of silk and 8 times that of cotton, this is improved on wetting the fibre. The fibre is also used for making paper. The leaves are removed from the stems, the stems are steamed and the fibres stripped off. The fibres are cooked for 2 hours with lye, fresh material might require longer cooking, and they are then beaten in a Hollander beater before being made into paper. Special Uses Carbon Farming

Notes

The plant is often grown for the fibres. There are about 100 Boehmeria species. They grow in the tropics and subtropics. It is used in medicine.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Ban, Bela kopriva, China Grass, Gon, Kankura, Kya-sha, Lashen, Rami, Rhea

References (29)

• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 76
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 60
• Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 346
• Cobley, L.S. (rev. Steele, W.M.) 2nd Ed., 1976, An Introduction to the Botany of Tropical Crops. Longmans. p 278
• Flora of China @ efloras.org Volume 5

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