This much nicer relative of the stinging nettle makes a wonderful addition to butterfly gardens. When several plants are grouped about 2 feet apart, they eventually form a bushy "shrub" with smooth, dark green leaves. False nettle is native throughout the eastern, central, and southwestern states in the US. It resides most happily in moist to wet soils with light shade. When sited in sun, it requires more moisture and the leaves may turn yellow. The spikes of tiny, greenish-white flowers that bloom mid-summer to fall are wind pollinated and not likely to attract hordes of insects; however, false nettle has all the host-plant benefits of stinging nettle but without the painful hairs. The caterpillars of one Lepidoptera species, red admiral butterfly, are a common sight on false nettle. They tend to make a large leaf nest on the plant and pupate inside of it. Ragged leaves at the tip of new growth are a sure sign of the nest's location. The website Joyful Butterfly Plants and Seeds suggests taking false nettle cuttings indoors to raise caterpillars because the cuttings hold up well in water.
False nettle expresses some variations in its appearance-- the squared stems are sometimes round and may be either hairy or smooth. The inflorescence may or may not develop leaves in addition to flowers. The leaves are usually opposite but are sometimes alternate. This species is usually dioecious, with male and female flowers borne on different plants that pollinate each other by wind. Other common names include smallspike false nettle and bog hemp. Another native member of the Nettle family, clearweed (Pilea pumila), also lacks stinging hairs, but it has a taller stem that is translucent.
Native habitats include wet to moist woodlands, swamps, bogs, and lower banks of streams and rivers.
Plant Characteristics:
Grows 3-5' tall
Prefers part sun. Tolerates full sun with additional moisture.
Prefers medium-wet to average soils, including loamy and sandy.
Tiny flowers are in small clusters arranged in continuous or interrupted spikes in the axils of opposite leaves. Small, oval-shaped seeds are covered in small, hook-like hairs.
Leaves are ovate or ovate-lanceolate, up to 4" long, and have long, slender petioles.
Wildlife Value:
Host plant to species of Lepidoptera larvae, including flowing-line Bomolocha moth and eastern comma, question mark, and red admiral butterflies. Fly larvae of Neolasioptera boehmeriae form galls on the stems. Mammals browse the foliage.
Medicinal, Edible, and Other Uses:
No known medicinal or edible uses.
The fibers from the stems were used for cordage and netting.
Resources:
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BOCY
Illinois Wildflowers: https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/false_nettle.htm
Prairie Moon: https://www.prairiemoon.com/boehmeria-cylindrica-smallspike-false-nettle
Joyful Butterfly: https://www.joyfulbutterfly.com/product/false-nettle/?srsltid=AfmBOory0i9qFbDmrXQA0H0AGSc16fohfQLGHUnJKaEVMgiXZS1g2dLN