Ramie (Boehmeria nivea)

Family: Urticaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Ramie, Boehmeria nivea, is an erect, herbaceous, perennial, flowering plant up to 1 -3 m tall with thick storage roots. The leaves are heart-shaped with white, hairy underside. It is highly cultivated for its high quality fibre or as an ornamental plant. It is also used in preventing miscarriages during pregnancy.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

pleasant, sweet taste. — Edible portion: Root, Leaves, Seeds – oil.; Root - peeled and boiled.; A pleasant, sweet taste.; We can detect very little flavour, but the root has a very strange mucilaginous texture that does not appeal to most people who have tried it.

Habitat & North American Range

Rocky places to 1200 metres. A very common plant in China, growing in thickets, roadsides, edges of forests in mountains at elevations of 200 - 1700 metres. (Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9)