Flora of North America species comparison

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Acalypha australis

Acalypha ostryifolia

Asian copperleaf

hophornbeam copperleaf, pineland threeseed Mercury
Habit Herbs, annual, 3–6 dm, monoecious. Herbs, annual, 3.5–7 dm, monoecious.
Stems

erect, densely to sparsely pilose.

erect, pubescent, sparsely hirsute, and stipitate-glandular.
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 1.5–6.5 cm;

blade ovate, 3–8 × 1.5–5 cm, base cordate, margins serrate, apex acute to short acuminate.
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.

unisexual, axillary (staminate) and terminal (pistillate; sometimes on short lateral branches, appearing axillary);

staminate peduncle 0.5–1.5 cm, fertile portion 0.5–3.5 cm;

pistillate peduncle 0.1–1 cm, fertile portion 3–7 × 0.7–1 cm;

allomorphic pistillate flowers common, near apices of pistillate inflorescences.
Pedicels

of allomorphic flowers rudimentary.

of allomorphic flowers rudimentary.
Pistillate flowers

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

styles multifid or laciniate.

pistil 3-carpellate (normal flowers), 1(–3)-carpellate (allomorphic flowers);

styles multifid or laciniate.
Capsules

muricate, pubescent;

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

spiny, pubescent;

allomorphic fruits obovoid, 2 irregular flanges near apex, 2–2.2 × 1.6–1.8 mm, smooth, pubescent.
Seeds

1.5–1.8 mm, minutely pitted.

1.6–2 mm, tuberculate.
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 (normal and allomorphic flowers) loosely arranged (inflorescence axis visible between bracts), 3–6 × 6–8 mm, abaxial surface pubescent (hairs to 0.3 mm) and sparsely stipitate-glandular;

lobes (9–)13–17, linear, 2/3 bract length, muricate.

Acalypha australis

Acalypha ostryifolia
Phenology Flowering and fruiting late summer–fall. Flowering and fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat Disturbed areas. Stream banks, edges of woods, disturbed areas, agricultural fields.
Elevation 0–20 m. (0–100 ft.) 0–1700 m. (0–5600 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; AZ; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MO; MS; NC; NE; OH; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; Mexico; West Indies [Introduced to Central America]
[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.)

J. Torrey [in W. H. Emory 1857–1859, vol. 2(1)] reported Acalypha ostryifolia (as A. caroliniana Elliott) from New Mexico on the basis of Bigelow s.n., collected near "the Copper Mines" in Grant County. Although no specimen has been located by the author and this is the only report of this species from New Mexico, it is to be expected in the southwestern part of the state. It was collected in the late nineteenth century in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but has not been collected there since.

Acalypha ostryifolia may not be native to the northern part of its range. Specimen collection dates suggest that the species is spreading northward, and in much of its range it is found primarily in areas with human disturbance.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 169. FNA vol. 12, p. 167.
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. gracilens, A. monococca, A. monostachya, A. neomexicana, A. phleoides, A. poiretii, A. radians, A. rhomboidea, A. setosa, A. virginica, A. wilkesiana
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1004. (1753) Riddell ex J. M. Coulter: Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 5: 213. (1894) — (as ostryaefolia)
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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