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False Nettle

Boehmeria cylindrica

Found in swamp forests, bottomland forests, bogs, tidal marshes, other marshes, other wetlands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

42
Good

Native to Mississippi (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
3 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
July to August
Fruiting season
September to October

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 69 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Swamps

The Land of Evangeline
Joseph Rusling Meeker, The Land of Evangeline (1874): moss-hung trees over a still bayou in Louisiana swamp forest. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Louisiana bayou country (Meeker, The Land of Evangeline, 1874), a neighboring state.The Land of Evangeline, Joseph Rusling Meeker, 1874. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Coastal tidal marshes (salinity not stated)

Tidal marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where the source does not say whether the water is fresh, brackish or salt. A stated salinity files the marsh under freshwater tidal marshes or salt and brackish marshes instead.

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Mississippi. Shared habitat, not food. 112 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (33)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Mississippi

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Boehmeria

  • Polygonia interrogationisQuestion Mark
  • Vanessa atalantaRed Admiral
  • Condylorrhiza vestigialisThe Alamo Moth
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Euptoieta claudiaVariegated Fritillary, (?)Gulf Fritillary
  • Herpetogramma fluctuosalisGreater Sweetpotato Webworm
  • Herpetogramma phaeopteralisDusky Herpetogramma Moth,
  • Hypena manalisFlowing-Line Bomolocha, Flowing-Line Snout
  • Patania silicalisHerbivorous Patania, Herbivorous Pleuroptya
  • Pilocrocis ramentalisScraped Pilocrocis
Show all 13
  • Polygonia commaEastern Comma
  • Syngamia florellaOrange-Spotted Flower Moth
  • Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded eating Boehmeria in Mississippi

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Mississippi, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Birds that eat Boehmeria 2

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Urticaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–10b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Green or white
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Grows in clumps
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSNR
Global rankG5
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

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How to check your spot

Sources