4b. Boehmeria clidemioides var. diffusa (Weddell) Handel-Mazzetti, Symb. Sin. 7: 152. 1929.
序叶苎麻 xu ye zhu ma
Boehmeria diffusa Weddell, Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. 9: 356. 1856; B. diffusa var. strigosa Weddell.
Herbs perennial or subshrubs, well branched, diffuse or erect, to 1.5 m tall. Leaves alternate or sometimes opposite in lower stems, base often cuneate, margin coarsely 7-13-dentate. Fruiting perianth base often obtuse. Fl. Jun-Aug, fr. Aug-Sep. 2n = 28.
Forest margins, roadsides, often somewhat dry places in disturbed areas; 200-2400 m. S Anhui, Fujian, S Gansu, N Guangdong, N Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, N Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Sikkim, Vietnam].
This variety is very common in China, and it is variable in leaf shape and size.
The plants are used in traditional medicine and as pig feed.