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Acalypha
Also called Three Seeded Mercury, Three Seeded Mercuries, Brooms And Brushes, Copperleafs
Acalypha is a large genus of about 450 species of herbs, shrubs and small trees, mostly tropical, with the common chenille plant (A. hispida) grown as a houseplant and other members grown for colorful foliage. Most grow best in bright light with regular moisture and warmth.
Acalypha is a genus of flowering plants in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole genus of the subtribe Acalyphinae. It is one of the largest euphorb genera, with approximately 450 to 462 species. The genus name Acalypha is from the Ancient Greek ἀκαλύφη (akalúphē) ("nettle"), an alternative form of ἀκαλήφη (akalḗphē), and was inspired by the nettle-like leaves. General common names include copperleaf and three-seeded mercury. Native North American species are generally inconspicuous most of the year until the fall when their stems and foliage turn a distinctive coppery-red.
The genus is distributed mainly in the tropics and subtropics, with about 60% of species native to the Americas and about 30% in Africa.
A. hispida, the chenille plant or red-hot cat's tail, is cultivated as a houseplant for its interesting flowers. It earned the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, as has A. hispaniolae, the Hispaniola cat's tail. Others are grown for their foliage and a number of cultivars have been developed, such as A. wilkesiana 'Obovata Cristata' and A. wilkesiana 'Hoffmannii'.
Acalypha bipartita · Bastard Copperleaf · Acalypha ciliata · Golden falsenettle · Red-hot cat's tail · Indian Copperleaf · Acalypha integrifolia · Zambezi Acalypha · Shrubby copperleaf · Acalypha psilostachya · Acalypha villicaulis · Jacob's Coat
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Acalypha by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
