Boehmeria sieboldiana

Ramie Urticaceae

A handsome and rather underused member of the nettle family, Boehmeria sieboldiana forms an upright clump of broad, textured green leaves, giving it a distinctly architectural presence in the woodland garden. The flowers are inconspicuous, produced in clusters along slender stems, but the foliage more than makes up for their lack of glamour. It is native from southern and southeastern China, Hainan, Taiwan, Korea and southern Japan, including the Nansei-Shoto islands. Kew treats B. sieboldiana as a distinct accepted species. 

Its ethnobotanical story is less well documented than that of the closely related ramie (B. nivea). Boehmeria as a genus has a long history of human use for fibre, particularly ramie, whose exceptionally strong bast fibres have been used for cloth, cordage and other materials. 

Height: 1–1.5m
Spread: 75–100cm
Flowers: Summer
Hardiness: H5–H6, approximately −15 to −10°C

A superb foliage plant for the adventurous woodland border — all the visual drama of a nettle, but without the stinging.