Floodplains and swamps (both deciduous and coniferous), less often in marshes or in upland deciduous forests.

There is considerable variability in amount of pubescence on the stems (sometimes glabrate, often with hooked and straight hairs) and in roughness of leaves.

Boehmeria cylindrica var. drummondiana (Wedd.) Wedd. occurs in sunny habitats such as fens, wet meadows, lakeshores, and bog margins. It has folded, more or less deflexed leaf blades on shorter petioles. It looks like a quite different plant in the field and is worthy of further study.