Pilea fasciata Franchet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat., sér. 2, 10: 81. 1888, not Weddell (1869).

Herbs perennial, stoloniferous, dioecious or monoecious. Stems almost simple, 25-100 cm tall, woody at base, succulent distally, with galls on mid portion of internodes, glabrous or sometimes puberulent distally. Stipules persistent, triangular, ca. 2 mm, membranous; petioles subequal in length, 1-5 cm; leaf blade abaxially pale green with 2 whitish striae along median vein, adaxially dark green, elliptic, ovate, or oblong-lanceolate, subequal in size, 4-17 × 2-7 cm, herbaceous, 3-veined, lateral veins many, basal ones inconspicuous, distal 3 or 4 pairs distinct and anastomosing, abaxial surface sometimes pubescent along veins, adaxial surface sparsely pilose, cystoliths worm-shaped, often conspicuously and compactly around the thickened final vein nodes abaxially, base cuneate or obtusely rounded, margin coarsely dentate, apex caudate-acuminate, acumen entire, proximal leaves often obovate, quite small, Inflorescence a paniculate cyme, shorter than petioles. Male flowers pedicellate or sessile, in bud ovoid, 1-1.5 mm; perianth lobes 4, connate 1/2 of length, subapically corniculate; stamens 4; rudimentary ovary small. Female flowers subsessile, in bud ca. 0.5 mm; perianth lobes connate 1/2 of length, equal, apex obtuse; staminodes 3, small, scale-like, oblong. Achene broadly ovoid, ca. 0.7 mm, compressed, oblique, verrucose. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Aug-Oct.

Shaded moist places in forests; 700-2500 m. S Anhui, S Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang [N India, N Thailand, Sikkim].