Flora of North America species comparison

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Acalypha australis

Acalypha gracilens

Asian copperleaf

slender copperleaf, slender three-seed-Mercury
Habit Herbs, annual, 3–6 dm, monoecious. Herbs, annual, 1–6 dm, monoecious.
Stems

erect, densely to sparsely pilose.

erect, pubescent.
Leaves

petiole 0.5–4 cm;

blade ovate to broadly lanceolate, 2–8 × 1.5–4 cm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins serrate, apex acute to short-acuminate.

petiole 0.2–1.2(–1.8) cm;

blade oblong-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 1.7–6 × 0.4–2 cm, base cuneate, margins serrate to crenate to subentire, apex obtuse to acute.
Inflorescences

bisexual, axillary;

peduncle 0.5–4(–6) cm, pistillate portion 1–2 × 1.5–2.5 cm or pistillate bract solitary, staminate portion 0.5–3 cm;

allomorphic pistillate flowers rare, when present replacing staminate part of inflorescence.

bisexual, axillary;

peduncle 0.1–0.6 cm, pistillate portion 0.7–1.3 × 0.8–1.5 cm or pistillate bract solitary, staminate portion 0.2–2.6 cm;

allomorphic pistillate flowers absent.
Pedicels

of allomorphic flowers rudimentary.

Pistillate flowers

pistil 3-carpellate (normal flowers), 2-carpellate (allomorphic flowers);

styles multifid or laciniate.

pistil 3-carpellate;

styles multifid or laciniate.
Capsules

muricate, pubescent;

allomorphic fruits obovoid, 2 × 1.2 mm, muricate, pubescent.

smooth, pubescent.
Seeds

1.5–1.8 mm, minutely pitted.

1.1–1.9 mm, minutely pitted.
Pistillate

bracts (normal flowers) loosely arranged (inflorescence axis visible between bracts) or solitary, 10–15(–20) × 8–12 mm, abaxial surface sparsely pubescent;

lobes 12–15, rounded, 1/20 bract length; of allomorphic flowers absent.

bracts loosely arranged to crowded (inflorescence axis clearly to scarcely visible between bracts) or solitary, 8–14 × 11–17 mm, abaxial surface sparsely pubescent, red sessile-glandular, and sometimes stipitate-glandular;

lobes (7–)9–13(–15), deltate, 1/10–1/4 bract length.

Acalypha australis

Acalypha gracilens
Phenology Flowering and fruiting late summer–fall. Flowering and fruiting mostly summer–fall.
Habitat Disturbed areas. Pine and pine-oak woods, dry hardwood forests, glades, prairies, disturbed areas, usually on sand or shallow rocky soils.
Elevation 0–20 m. (0–100 ft.) 0–1100 m. (0–3600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
NJ; NY; Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan); Pacific Islands (Philippines) [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Acalypha australis, native to eastern Asia, became established in metropolitan New York City in the 1980s. It was also collected once in 1900 in Oregon (Suksdorf 2892, GH), and apparently has not persisted there.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Acalypha gracilens varies considerably throughout its range; some of the extremes have been named. The variation shows no discrete breaks and no infraspecific taxa warrant recognition (G. A. Levin 1999). Populations in central Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa have been alleged to be introduced, but they show slight morphological differences from other populations and appear to be native. Acalypha gracilens is introduced in Wisconsin. See 16. A. virginica for a discussion of the differences between A. gracilens and that species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 169. FNA vol. 12, p. 171.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Acalypha Euphorbiaceae > Acalypha
Sibling taxa
A. alopecuroidea, A. arvensis, A. californica, A. chamaedrifolia, A. deamii, A. gracilens, A. monococca, A. monostachya, A. neomexicana, A. ostryifolia, A. phleoides, A. poiretii, A. radians, A. rhomboidea, A. setosa, A. virginica, A. wilkesiana
A. alopecuroidea, A. arvensis, A. australis, A. californica, A. chamaedrifolia, A. deamii, A. monococca, A. monostachya, A. neomexicana, A. ostryifolia, A. phleoides, A. poiretii, A. radians, A. rhomboidea, A. setosa, A. virginica, A. wilkesiana
Synonyms A. gracilens var. delzii, A. gracilens var. fraseri
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1004. (1753) A. Gray: Manual, 408. (1848)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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