Pilea pumila

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Clearweed
Pilea pumila.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Urticaceae
Genus: Pilea
Species:
P. pumila
Binomial name
Pilea pumila
(L.) A.Gray

Pilea pumila, commonly known as clearweed, [1] Canadian clearweed, coolwort or richweed, [2] is an herbaceous plant in the nettle family (Urticaceae). It is native to Asia and eastern North America, where it is broadly distributed. [1] [3] [4]

Contents

This plant is most often found in rich loamy soil, usually in moist to wet areas. Its natural habitat is in forests or other lightly shaded conditions. [5] It is a common plant throughout its range, and forms large colonies where it is found. It grows in both high-quality habitats and in ecologically degraded areas. Due to its high tolerance for disturbance, it is often seen near buildings and as a garden weed. [3]

Description

Pilea pumila is an erect annual, growing 0.7 to 70 cm tall. [1] The foliage is opposite, simple with dentate margins, wrinkly (with depressed veins), ovate, and with long petioles. Both the leaves and stems are translucent and bright green, turning bright yellow in autumn. The flowers are small, borne in axillary cymes, unisexual with both genders occurring on the same plant, greenish yellow, and pollinated by wind. Flowers bloom from midsummer through early autumn. Fruits (achenes) are green with purple markings. Roots are fibrous, shallow, and adventitious off the stem in moist areas or when in contact with the soil.

The plant is often mistaken for stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica ), but can be distinguished by the lack of trichomes, or stinging hairs, and the lower amount of branching of the inflorescences. [5]

Taxonomy

Three varieties of Pilea pumila are currently recognized. They are: [3]

Among the typical widespread variety pumila, minor differences do exist between the Asian and North American populations. Further taxonomic studies are needed to clarify what level of rank (if any) these differences warrant. [1]

Uses

Canadian clearweed is edible, but unpalatable. [6] The plant can be used in classroom demonstrations of transpiration using food coloring due to its translucent stem. [2] [5] It was reportedly used medicinally by certain Native Americans for sinus issues, itch relief and to reduce hunger, [1] and it is sometimes used as a diuretic in Asia. [3]

Ecology

The plant is host to various caterpillars, including the leaf-mining larvae of Cosmopterix pulchrimella , as well as the aphid Pseudasiphonaphis corni and leafhopper Empoasca recurvata . [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Urtica dioica</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Urticaceae

Urtica dioica, often known as common nettle, burn nettle, stinging nettle or nettle leaf, or just a nettle or stinger, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae. Originally native to Europe, much of temperate Asia and western North Africa, it is now found worldwide. The species is divided into six subspecies, five of which have many hollow stinging hairs called trichomes on the leaves and stems, which act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation upon contact.

<i>Urtica</i> Genus of flowering plants

Urtica is a genus of flowering plants in the family Urticaceae. Many species have stinging hairs and may be called nettles or stinging nettles. The generic name Urtica derives from the Latin for 'sting'.

<i>Lamium</i> Genus of flowering plants

Lamium (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successful weeds of crop fields and are now widely naturalised across much of the temperate world.

<i>Dasiphora fruticosa</i> Species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae

Dasiphora fruticosa is a species of hardy deciduous flowering shrub in the family Rosaceae, native to the cool temperate and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere, often growing at high altitudes in mountains. Dasiphora fruticosa is still widely referenced in the horticultural literature under its synonym Potentilla fruticosa. Common names include shrubby cinquefoil, golden hardhack, bush cinquefoil, shrubby five-finger, widdy, kuril tea and tundra rose.

<i>Caltha palustris</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family

Caltha palustris, known as marsh-marigold and kingcup, is a small to medium sized perennial herbaceous plant of the buttercup family, native to marshes, fens, ditches and wet woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It flowers between April and August, dependent on altitude and latitude, but occasional flowers may occur at other times.

<i>Rudbeckia laciniata</i> Species of flowering plant

Rudbeckia laciniata, the cutleaf coneflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in both Canada and the United States. Its natural habitat is wet sites in flood plains, along stream banks, and in moist forests. Common names other than cutleaf coneflower include cutleaf, goldenglow, green-headed coneflower, tall coneflower, sochan and thimbleweed.

<i>Lamium album</i> Species of flowering plant

Lamium album, commonly called white dead-nettle, is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native throughout Europe and Asia, growing in a variety of habitats from open grassland to woodland, generally on moist, fertile soils.

<i>Pilea</i> Genus of plants

Pilea, with 600–715 species, is the largest genus of flowering plants in the nettle family Urticaceae.

<i>Lonicera sempervirens</i> Species of honeysuckle

Lonicera sempervirens is a flowering plant species of honeysuckle vine native to the eastern United States which is known for its reddish flowers.

<i>Juncus bufonius</i> Species of grass

Juncus bufonius, known commonly as toad rush, is a widespread flowering plant species complex in the rush family Juncaceae.

<i>Erechtites hieraciifolius</i> Species of plant in the family Asteraceae

Erechtites hieraciifolius is a plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is native to the Americas, but is found many places around the world having been introduced by human activity. It is introduced in Hawaii, China, and Southeast Asia.

<i>Pilea involucrata</i> Species of flowering plant

Pilea involucrata (Sims) Urb., commonly known as the friendship plant, is a species of flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to Central and South America. It is a popular houseplant due to its unique foliage and relatively easy care. This species is best known for its popular cultivar, Pilea involucrata 'Moon Valley'.

<i>Sambucus racemosa</i> Species of plant

Sambucus racemosa is a species of elderberry known by the common names red elderberry and red-berried elder.

Pilea fontana, the lesser clearweed, is an herbaceous plant which is very similar to Pilea pumila. They can be distinguished by the appearance of the mature achenes. The bloom season runs from July to September and the plant can be seen throughout the Northeastern US and Canada. The fruit is a flattened, teardrop-shaped up to 1/6 inch long and 75-85% as wide.

<i>Cypripedium parviflorum</i> Species of orchid

Cypripedium parviflorum, commonly known as yellow lady's slipper or moccasin flower, is a lady's slipper orchid native to North America. It is widespread, ranging from Alaska south to Arizona and Georgia. It grows in fens, wetlands, shorelines, and damp woodlands.

<i>Laportea canadensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Laportea canadensis, commonly called Canada nettle or wood-nettle, is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant of the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern and central North America. It is found growing in open woods with moist rich soils and along streams and in drainages.

<i>Aglais milberti</i> Species of butterfly

Aglais milberti, the fire-rim tortoiseshell or Milbert's tortoiseshell, is considered the only species of the proposed Aglais genus that occurs in North America.

<i>Galeopsis bifida</i> Species of plant

Galeopsis bifida is an annual plant native to Europe and Asia but now found in Canada and the northeastern, midwestern parts of the United States. It has many common names such as bifid hemp-nettle, split-lip hemp-nettle, common hemp-nettle, and large-flowered hemp-nettle. The genus name means weasel-like, referring to the corolla of the flower. It is often confused with other species of Lamiaceae such as Mentha arvensis, Dracocephalum parviflorum and Stachys pilosa.

<i>Vaccinium oxycoccos</i> Species of flowering plant

Vaccinium oxycoccos is a species of flowering plant in the heath family. It is known as small cranberry, marshberry, bog cranberry, swamp cranberry, or, particularly in Britain, just cranberry. It is widespread throughout the cool temperate northern hemisphere, including northern Europe, northern Asia and northern North America.

<i>Zelkova serrata</i> Species of tree

Zelkova serrata is a species of the genus Zelkova native to Japan, Korea, eastern China and Taiwan. It is often grown as an ornamental tree, and used in bonsai. There are two varieties, Zelkova serrata var. serrata in Japan and mainland eastern Asia, and Zelkova serrata var. tarokoensis (Hayata) Li on Taiwan which differs from the type in its smaller leaves with less deeply cut serration on the margins.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pilea pumila". Flora of North America. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Clearweed". Hennepin County Master Gardeners. Regents of the University of Minnesota. 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Pilea pumila". Flora of China. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  4. "Pilea pumila". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Hilty, John (2020). "Clearweed (Pilea pumila)". Illinois Wildflowers. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  6. Angelyn (13 August 2011). "Three members of the Nettle Family". Identify that Plant. Retrieved 3 August 2022.