Flora of North America species comparison

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Acalypha californica

Acalypha australis

California acalypha, California copperleaf, heirba del cancer, Pringle threeseed Mercury

Asian copperleaf
Habit Shrubs, 5–10 dm, monoecious. Herbs, annual, 3–6 dm, monoecious.
Stems

erect, hirsute and stipitate-glandular, becoming glabrate.

erect, densely to sparsely pilose.
Leaves

persistent or drought-deciduous;

petiole 0.5–2.5 cm;

blade ovate to cordate, 1–5 × 0.5–4 cm, base truncate to rounded or cordate, margins serrate-crenate, apex acute or obtuse.

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.
Inflorescences

unisexual and bisexual, axillary and terminal; staminate peduncle 0.3–2.5 cm, fertile portion 1–4 cm; pistillate peduncle 0.4–3 cm, fertile portion 1–3 × 0.8–1.2 cm;

bisexual similar to staminate, with 1–3 pistillate bracts near base;

allomorphic pistillate flowers absent.

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.
Pedicels

of allomorphic flowers rudimentary.
Pistillate flowers

pistil 3-carpellate;

styles multifid or laciniate.

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

styles multifid or laciniate.
Capsules

smooth, pubescent and stipitate-glandular.

muricate, pubescent;

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

1.5–2 mm, minutely pitted.

1.5–1.8 mm, minutely pitted.
Pistillate

bracts loosely arranged (inflorescence axis visible between bracts), 3–6 × 5.5–11 mm, abaxial surface pubescent, sessile- and stipitate-glandular;

lobes (8–)10–18, rounded, 1/5 bract length.

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.
2n

= 20.

Acalypha californica

Acalypha australis
Phenology Flowering and fruiting year-round, especially spring and fall. Flowering and fruiting late summer–fall.
Habitat Arid rocky slopes, desert washes. Disturbed areas.
Elevation 10–1400 m. (0–4600 ft.) 0–20 m. (0–100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NJ; NY; Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan); Pacific Islands (Philippines) [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants in Arizona and Sonora have been segregated as Acalypha pringlei based on having long nonglandular hairs mixed with shorter hairs on the stem (versus hairs all of one length). This trait appears throughout the range of A. californica and cannot be used to distinguish two species (G. A. Levin 1995).

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

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.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 165. FNA vol. 12, p. 169.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Acalypha Euphorbiaceae > Acalypha
Sibling taxa
A. alopecuroidea, A. arvensis, A. australis, 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. 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
Synonyms A. pringlei
Name authority Bentham: Bot. Voy. Sulphur, 51. (1844) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1004. (1753)
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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