长序苎麻 chang xu zhu ma

Subshrubs or small shrubs 0.6-3 m tall; upper stems strigose. Leaves opposite, slightly unequal in size; stipules subulate-triangular, ca. 5 mm; petiole 2-19 cm, strigose or pubescent; leaf blade suborbicular or orbicular-ovate, 6.5-19 × 6-17.5 cm, herbaceous, secondary veins 2 pairs along midvein, abaxial surface densely appressed strigillose or patent pubescent, adaxial surface often sparsely appressed strigose, base cordate or subtruncate, margin coarsely dentate, apex cuspidate or caudate. Glomerules unisexual, distant along long spikelike flowering branches, male branches sometimes branched at base, 5-10 cm; female spikes often unbranched, 10-40 cm. Male flowers 4-merous, sessile; perianth lobes obovate, ca. 1 mm, sparsely puberulent, connate at base; rudimentary ovule obovoid, 0.3-0.5 mm. Fruiting perianth rhomboid-obovoid, compressed, ca. 1.2 mm, strigose on shoulder, base obtuse, apex with very short neck, 2-toothed. Fl. Jul-Sep, fr. Sep-Nov.

* Thickets in hills, moist or disturbed places; 100-1300 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou.

The fibers are used to make ropes.