Ramie

This article is about the plant. For the Irish hurler, see Ramie Dowling. For the Irish artist, see Ramie Leahy. For the moth, see Ramie moth. For the given name, see Raymond.

Ramie
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Urticaceae
Genus: Boehmeria
Species:
B. nivea
Binomial name
Boehmeria nivea

Ramie (pronounced: /ˈreɪmi/, RAY-mee; from Malay rami), Boehmeria nivea, is a flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern Asia. It is an herbaceous perennial growing to 1.0–2.5 m (3 ft 3 in – 8 ft 2 in) tall;[1] the leaves are heart-shaped, 7–15 cm (2.8–5.9 in) long and 6–12 cm (2.4–4.7 in) broad, and white on the underside with dense, small hairs—this gives it a silvery appearance; unlike stinging nettles, the hairs do not sting. The true ramie or China grass is also called Chinese plant or white ramie.

A second type, known as green ramie or rhea, is believed to have originated in the Malay Peninsula.[citation needed] It has smaller leaves which are green on the underside, and it appears to be better suited to tropical conditions.[1] The word "ramie" is derived from the Malay word rami.[2]

  1. ^ a b Ramie: Old Fiber - New Image Archived copy at the Library of Congress (September 17, 2002).
  2. ^ "ramie", entry, p. 156, vol. 13, The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989, ISBN 0-19-861225-7.