Ramie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ramie
Scientific classification
Genus:	Boehmeria
Species:	nivea

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea) is a type of flowering plant that belongs to the nettle family, called Urticaceae. It originally comes from eastern Asia. It's a plant that grows back every year and doesn't have a woody stem, reaching about 1 to 2.5 meters tall.

Ramie is one of the oldest plants grown for its fibres. People have used it for at least 6,000 years! It's mostly used to make strong fabrics. Farmers can usually harvest ramie two or three times a year. If conditions are really good, they might even harvest it up to six times! Unlike some other fiber plants, ramie needs special chemicals to clean its fibers. This process is called 'de-gumming'.

Where Ramie is Grown

China grows the most ramie. They sell a lot of it to countries like Japan and those in Europe. Other places that grow ramie include Taiwan, the Philippines, and Brazil.

Only a small amount of the ramie grown around the world is sold to other countries. Most of it is used in the country where it's grown. The main countries that buy ramie are Japan, Germany, France, and the UK.

Images for kids

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  Worldwide ramie production

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  Preparing ramie fiber for weaving, The Story of Ramie From Seed to Finished Garment, c. 1820

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  Vietnamese glutinous rice cake, Bánh gai. Ramie leaves extract give the outer layer its dark green color.

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  A cloth made from ramie fiber

See also

In Spanish: Ramio para niños