Boehmeria tricuspis

(Hance) Makino

Urticaceae Edible: Leaves, Stems 131 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Perennial growing 0.8 m tall. Flowers July to August with seeds ripening September to October. Dioecious species requiring both male and female plants for seed production. Grows in light sandy and medium loamy well-drained soils with mildly acid to basic pH. Tolerates semi-shade or full sun with preference for moist soil.

Description

A herb. It grows about 1 m tall. It keeps growing from year to year. The upper stems are hairy. The leaves are opposite and unequal. The leaves are oval or 5 angled. They are 8-12 cm long by 7-14 cm wide. They are papery.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves Edible Uses: Young leaves - cooked.

Traditional Uses

The young stems and leaves are cooked and eaten in stir fry dishes.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

Febrifuge The leaves are used as a medicine for relieving internal fever.

Distribution

It is a tropical and subtropical plant. It grows in Yunnan in China. It grows in hills and mountains. It is often on the edges of forests and along streams. It grows between 500-1,400 m above sea level. It is best in a warm sandy soil that is well-drained. In Sichuan.

Where It Grows

Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Tibet,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed or cuttings from near the base. New shoots with the underground stem are used.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a warm greenhouse and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whilst smaller clumps are best potted up and kept in a cold frame until they are growing away well. Layering. Basal cuttings in late spring. Harvest the 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 in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Grow them on for their first winter in the cold frame and then plant them out in the summer.

Other Uses

Fibre The fiber obtained from the stems is of high quanlity and is used to make cloths, paper and ropes. Special Uses

Production

In Yunnan the leaves are picked in June to July.

Other Information

They are only occasionally used.

Notes

There are about 100 Boehmeria species. They grow in the tropics and subtropics.

Also Known As

Hema, Seija

References (6)

Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 26:387. 1912
Flora of China @ efloras.org Volume 5
Hwang, HS, et al, 2014, Distribution characteristics of plant in the Ungseokbong Mountain, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity. 7(2014) e164-e178
Ju, Y., et al, 2013, Eating from the wild: diversity of wild edible plants used by Tibetans in Shangri-la region, Yunnan, China, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethno medicine 9:28
Kang, Y., et al, 2012, Wild food plants and wild edible fungi in two valleys on the Qinling Mountains (Shaanxi, central China) Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine; 9:26

Show all 6 references