Mongolian clearweed is a small, soft-stemmed annual in the nettle family from East Asia. It grows in damp, shady places in Korea, Japan, China, and eastern Siberia, and is not a wild plant of the United States.
Appearance
- Growth form
- An annual about 12–20 in (30–50 cm) tall with upright, watery, light green stems and no hairs.
- Leaves
- Opposite, pointed leaves 1–4 in (2–10 cm) long with coarse triangular teeth.
Look-alikes
Canada clearweedPilea pumila
Location is the practical clue: wild clearweed in the United States is Canada clearweed or another American species, while Mongolian clearweed is an East Asian plant.
Why they get mixed upThe two are so similar that some botanists treat them as a single species.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- shady wetlands
- damp ground
- Range
- Native to China, Korea, eastern Siberia, and Japan. It is not native to North America, where its close relative Canada clearweed grows instead.
- Preferred conditions
- Moist, shady sites.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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