苎麻(原变种) zhu ma (yuan bian zhong)

Urtica nivea Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 985. 1753.

Shrubs to 2.5 m, most parts densely patent hirsute. Stipules free, linear, 9-11 mm; leaf blade suborbicular or broadly ovate, 7-15 × 4-13 cm, abaxial surface densely white tomentose, base subtruncate or broadly cuneate, apex cuspidate. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Sep-Oct.

Margins of secondary forests, thickets, roadsides, often cultivated; 200-1700 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Nepal, Sikkim, Vietnam].

This variety is cultivated in S Gansu, S Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, S Shaanxi, and Sichuan. The fibers are used to make 夏布 (xia bu, literally “summer cloth”).