diff --git a/hbase-shell/src/main/ruby/hbase/admin.rb b/hbase-shell/src/main/ruby/hbase/admin.rb
index 9739a13ecb2..634ad3bf485 100644
--- a/hbase-shell/src/main/ruby/hbase/admin.rb
+++ b/hbase-shell/src/main/ruby/hbase/admin.rb
@@ -1220,19 +1220,18 @@ module Hbase
 
     # Parse arguments and update HTableDescriptor accordingly
     def update_htd_from_arg(htd, arg)
-      htd.setOwnerString(arg.delete(OWNER)) if arg[OWNER]
-      htd.setMaxFileSize(JLong.valueOf(arg.delete(MAX_FILESIZE))) if arg[MAX_FILESIZE]
-      htd.setReadOnly(JBoolean.valueOf(arg.delete(READONLY))) if arg[READONLY]
-      htd.setCompactionEnabled(JBoolean.valueOf(arg.delete(COMPACTION_ENABLED))) if arg[COMPACTION_ENABLED]
-      htd.setNormalizationEnabled(
-        JBoolean.valueOf(arg.delete(NORMALIZATION_ENABLED))) if arg[NORMALIZATION_ENABLED]
-      htd.setMemStoreFlushSize(JLong.valueOf(arg.delete(MEMSTORE_FLUSHSIZE))) if arg[MEMSTORE_FLUSHSIZE]
-      htd.setDurability(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.Durability.valueOf(arg.delete(DURABILITY))) if arg[DURABILITY]
-      htd.setPriority(JInteger.valueOf(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::PRIORITY))) if arg[org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::PRIORITY]
-      htd.setFlushPolicyClassName(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::FLUSH_POLICY)) if arg[org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::FLUSH_POLICY]
-      htd.setRegionMemstoreReplication(JBoolean.valueOf(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::REGION_MEMSTORE_REPLICATION))) if arg[org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::REGION_MEMSTORE_REPLICATION]
-      htd.setRegionSplitPolicyClassName(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::SPLIT_POLICY)) if arg[org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::SPLIT_POLICY]
-      htd.setRegionReplication(JInteger.valueOf(arg.delete(REGION_REPLICATION))) if arg[REGION_REPLICATION]
+      htd.setOwnerString(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::OWNER)) if arg.include?(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::OWNER)
+      htd.setMaxFileSize(JLong.valueOf(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::MAX_FILESIZE))) if arg.include?(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::MAX_FILESIZE)
+      htd.setReadOnly(JBoolean.valueOf(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::READONLY))) if arg.include?(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::READONLY)
+      htd.setCompactionEnabled(JBoolean.valueOf(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::COMPACTION_ENABLED))) if arg.include?(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::COMPACTION_ENABLED)
+      htd.setNormalizationEnabled(JBoolean.valueOf(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::NORMALIZATION_ENABLED))) if arg.include?(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::NORMALIZATION_ENABLED)
+      htd.setMemStoreFlushSize(JLong.valueOf(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::MEMSTORE_FLUSHSIZE))) if arg.include?(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::MEMSTORE_FLUSHSIZE)
+      htd.setDurability(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.Durability.valueOf(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::DURABILITY))) if arg.include?(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::DURABILITY)
+      htd.setPriority(JInteger.valueOf(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::PRIORITY))) if arg.include?(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::PRIORITY)
+      htd.setFlushPolicyClassName(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::FLUSH_POLICY)) if arg.include?(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::FLUSH_POLICY)
+      htd.setRegionMemstoreReplication(JBoolean.valueOf(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::REGION_MEMSTORE_REPLICATION))) if arg.include?(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::REGION_MEMSTORE_REPLICATION)
+      htd.setRegionSplitPolicyClassName(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::SPLIT_POLICY)) if arg.include?(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::SPLIT_POLICY)
+      htd.setRegionReplication(JInteger.valueOf(arg.delete(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::REGION_REPLICATION))) if arg.include?(org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor::REGION_REPLICATION)
       set_user_metadata(htd, arg.delete(METADATA)) if arg[METADATA]
       set_descriptor_config(htd, arg.delete(CONFIGURATION)) if arg[CONFIGURATION]
     end
diff --git a/hbase-shell/src/test/ruby/hbase/admin_test.rb b/hbase-shell/src/test/ruby/hbase/admin_test.rb
index e42acded240..29ab37a2e4b 100644
--- a/hbase-shell/src/test/ruby/hbase/admin_test.rb
+++ b/hbase-shell/src/test/ruby/hbase/admin_test.rb
@@ -245,6 +245,14 @@ module Hbase
       assert_equal(['a:', 'b:'], table(@create_test_name).get_all_columns.sort)
     end
 
+    define_test "create should work when attributes value 'false' is not enclosed in single quotation marks" do
+      drop_test_table(@create_test_name)
+      command(:create, @create_test_name,{NAME => 'a', BLOCKCACHE => false}, {COMPACTION_ENABLED => false})
+      assert_equal(['a:'], table(@create_test_name).get_all_columns.sort)
+      assert_match(/BLOCKCACHE/, admin.describe(@create_test_name))
+      assert_match(/COMPACTION_ENABLED/, admin.describe(@create_test_name))
+    end
+
     #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     define_test "describe should fail for non-existent tables" do